BookOwl Picks: Historical Fiction

 

Historical fiction is one of those genres that has taken me quite a while to get into, but I have found some good entry points, especially in women-centered stories set in cultures different from my own. If done right, historical fiction can educate as well as entertain the readers about the historical context your characters find themselves in. 

While most of the historical fiction I have encountered is set during World War II, (not to diss books coming out of this era, because most of them are good; it's just there seems to be a saturation of historical fiction set during this time) I have been lucky to have been recommended some overlooked stories taking places in other historical eras in different countries. Compelling characters, action-driven plot, women-driven stories, and historical context are all things I look for in historical fiction, and I believe the picks I have below have these characteristics and more.

Pachinko by Min Jin Lee

My full review for this book, spoilers included, can be found at: https://abookblog4you.blogspot.com/2022/11/book-review-pachinko-by-lee-min-jin.html

Pachinko is a story about a Korean family, which follows its evolution from the early 1900s to the 1990s. Sunja becomes the matriarch of this family, when she moves with her pastor husband, Isaak, to Japan to seek a better life...and minimize the familial scandal caused by her getting pregnant out of wedlock with a rich stranger, whom she rejects in favor of humble Isaak. I found Sunja's decision to leave her home and everything she knows behind to be brave and heart-wrenching, as her decision leads to unexpected consequences for her family down the line.

The family initially starts off in desperate economic circumstances, but later generations of the family improve their standard of living by investing in popular pachinko parlors (think Japanese versions of casinos). As things start to get better for Sunja and her family, Sunja's long-buried secrets come to life, threatening everything the family has built. Rich in Korean and Japanese culture, Pachinko is a poignant exploration of one family fighting against historical forces much larger than them.

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

The Book Thief is one of those books I think most of us had to read in school at some point. Nevertheless, I have re-read it as an adult, and find it just as moving as I did when I was younger. Liesel is our protagonist, a young woman raised during the Third Reich in Germany, who finds unexpected solace in books while war rages all around her. This book is somewhat unique in that Death himself is the omniscient narrator, a presence both menacing (he is busy shepherding on souls during World War II) and somewhat comforting.

Liesel's world is upended when her family shelters a Jewish person in their basement. This makes Liesel's book thieving, such as saving books from Nazi book-burnings more difficult, and forces her to confront the realities of Nazi Germany and stand up to resist it. One of the novels that consistently makes me weep, The Book Thief is one of those enduring stories whose message needs to be taken to heart. Especially today, when we are seeing Neo-Nazi ideals on the up-trend among right-wing groups.

Nervous Conditions by Tsitsi Dangarembga 

I first read Tsitsi Dangarembga's Nervous Conditions in an undergraduate feminist literature elective course. It has stuck with me since then, a message that continues to resonate today. Centering decolonization theory, women's rights, and educational themes, our protagonist is Tambu, a girl who lives in rural Rhodesia (what is now Zimbabwe). Her brothers are expected to get an education to raise the family out of their poverty, and education for them is an imperative. When tragedy strikes, Tambu is given an unprecedented chance at education (girls are expected to stay home to run the homestead and care for family), where she moves in with her rich aunt and uncle in the big city.

This is quite the coming-of-age story, tackling post-colonization and women's rights head-on. Tambu wants to make the most of her education to help her family, but confronts a culture clash between her English-educated cousins and her own upbringing, where she finds herself scorning her own heritage. That's already a lot, but Tambu has the weight of her family's expectations on her shoulders as well as the negotiation of her identity where she doesn't fit in at home anymore, but doesn't fit in with the white-man's society. (Hence, "nervous conditions.") A book that I think everyone should read.

The Huntress by Kate Quinn

The Huntress jumps back between flashbacks to WWII Germany and the Soviet Union, and post-WWII Boston, and is a story of family secrets coming to light and the fallout from recognizing someone isn't who they say they are. Our heroine(s) are Soviet pilot Nina Markova and Jordan McBride, an aspiring photographer, who is trying to solve a family mystery centering around her stepmother. Nina is part of the real-life Night Witches, an all-women flight group that was a critical secret weapon against the Germans, and finds herself the target of the infamous German assassin known as the Huntress.

Both women's stories intersect quite nicely with each other and their parallel journeys to realizing their potential in a world where women were still largely expected to move into the domestic sphere as adults are compelling. Both subvert those expectations in their own ways, and I found myself rooting for both of them throughout the book. Full of political intrigue, strong female characters, and an engrossing storyline, The Huntress is definitely a read to give a try! 

The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles

My last pick is Amor Towles' The Lincoln Highway, taking place in 1950s America. The Lincoln Highway is the first book I have read by this author, who is more well-known as the author of A Gentleman in Moscow (a frequent book club selection). I think The Lincoln Highway has equal potential to earn its place among other popular book club selections.

The story follows main protagonist Emmett, who is being returned home to Nebraska by a warden after serving time for manslaughter. The family farm is in shambles and is about to be foreclosed upon. His mother left when he was young and his father recently deceased, Emmett plans to take his younger brother, Billy, out west to California, in search of their mother and a new life. However, unknown to Emmett was that two of his friends from that work farm hid in the trunk of the warden's car and managed to escape. They both derail Emmett's plans to travel to California, and sets off a ten day journey of unexpected detours and found family. 

Be forewarned, this one is a hefty book, and may take a bit to get into, but I think it's worth the reader's time overall.

Happy reading!

--BookOwl