10 Great Historical Fiction Books for an Alternate Way of Examining Our Past
Historical fiction: It kinda happened! But it also kinda didn’t! And that dichotomy makes great literature. These works? These are our 10 favorite historical fiction books, ranked.
10. All The Light We Cannot See
Anthony Doerr’s All The Light We Cannot See is a Pulitzer Prize-winning banger set against the backdrop of World War II. It revolves around a blind Parisian girl and a tech-savvy German orphan boy who find themselves on opposite ends of the conflict, whose lives become intertwined after both of them end up in the French city of Saint-Malo. One of the major themes of the work is light itself (hence the title). While the boy sees visible light that the girl cannot, the pair are connected by the mutual fascination with radio waves that are imperceptible to both, and that connection will change their lives forever.
9. A Thousand Splendid Suns
Khaled Hosseini’s A Thousand Splendid Suns is a decade-spanning tale that begins with the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and ends with the rise of the Taliban. The novel revolves around two women, Mariam and Laila. After Laila is forced into a marriage with Mariam’s abusive husband Rasheed, the pair’s lives become forever intertwined. While this book is unflinching in its portrayal of the horrors that Afghan women were forced to endure at the time, the book is also a tender portrait of female friendship and resilience in the face of hardship.
8. Outlander
Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander is a great historical fiction novel that doubles as one of the greatest romance novels ever written. The book centers around a former World War II nurse named Clair Randall who is transported back in time after touching some mysterious stones while on vacation in the Scottish highlands with her husband. Now in 1743, Clair meets a totally hot highland warrior named Jamie Fraser, whose clan is in desperate need of her medical knowledge as they participate in a series of Scottish rebellions known as the Jacobite risings. All’s fair in love and war.
7. Blood Meridian
Cormac McCarthy’s Blood Meridian is considered to be a contender for the Great American Novel. It is also a totally horrifying read. The story is set in the 19th century and follows a nameless youth known as The Kid and his ties with an infamous group of scalp-hunters known as the Glanton Gang. The Glanton Gang was a real-life mercenary force who were paid by local governments for the scalps of Native Americans. If that wasn’t ugly enough, the Gang is home to Judge Holden, a seven-foot-tall hairless albino man whose seemingly supernatural abilities may or may not make him the literal personification of evil. This book is a HEAVY read and one of the greatest works of horror and historical fiction ever made.
6. The Things They Carried
Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried is described by the author as a collection of true stories and a work of fiction. It is this apparent contradiction that makes it the most powerful book about war ever made, hands down. O’Brien understood that the horrors of the Vietnam War could never be fully comprehended by someone who wasn’t there, so he exaggerates and embellishes aspects of the war to give the stories the impact that the war’s true events made on its veterans. It’s a stunning experimental literary technique, and making this book literally impossible to read without balling your eyes out.
5. Beloved
Toni Morrison’s Beloved tells the story of a formerly enslaved woman named Sethe who is attempting to start her life anew in post-Civil War Ohio. Easier said than done. Thoughout the book, she is haunted by the ghost of her dead daughter, whom she murdered as an act of mercy in order to free her daughter from the horrors of slavery. Beloved is a tale about the lingering nature of trauma, and the struggle to rebuild oneself after coming face to face with the most terrible aspects of humanity. It’s a hard, compelling read.
4. Shōgun
Before it was a badass Hulu series, Shōgun was a badass novel by James Clavell about an English sailor named John Blackthorne who shipwrecks on the coast of Japan during the 1600s. Meanwhile, the Japanese warlord Toranaga finds himself at odds with the other ruling powers of Japan, and may be able to use Blackthorn’s skills to come out of an ensuing war alive. The real star of the book however is Blackthorne’s translator Lady Mariko, who helps the sailor understand the culture of the nation while trying to find her place in it herself.
3. Things Fall Apart
Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart is one of the most famous works of African literature ever written, and paints a portrait of Nigerian life before the influence of the Western world. The plot centers around Okonkwo, a respected member of the Igbo community. Okonkwo is a powerful farmer whose life is dominated by his desire to appear as a strong leader within his community, even if that means sacrificing his family ties to do so. As if his life of self-imposed discipline wasn’t hard enough, things really fall apart when European missionaries arrive in his land, spelling disaster for all.
2. Wolf Hall
Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall is real life Game of Thrones. The plot centers around one of the most infamous political figures in English history: Oliver Cromwell. Formerly a minor member of the landed class, Oliver Cromwell crawled his way up through the halls of power to become one of King Henry VIII’s most trusted advisors. All of the drama of King Henry VIII’s court is rendered in stunning, human detail, from the rise and fall of Anne Bolin to Cromwell’s eventual naming as the Lord Protector of England. Wolf Hall makes history feel living, breathing, and real.
1. Les Misérables
Before it was one of Broadway’s most legendary musicals, Les Misérables was a novel by Victor Hugo. You probably know the story already, but case you don’t, it’s about some verrrrrrrry sad French people. Set during the prelude to the French Revolution, Les Miserables is a story of perseverance in the face of enormous suffering and strife, and the explosive social upheavals in response.
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