The Best Historical Fiction Books You Haven’t Read

This is a fantastic story of loss and revenge, reminiscent of True Grit, and set in Texas in the mid-1800s. When a panther kills Samantha’s mother and horribly maims her face, she is hell bent on getting revenge. And after her father abandons her and her older brother, Benjamin, there’s no one to stop her. So Samantha sets out into the Texas wilderness to find the panther and kill it. Teenage Benjamin goes too, thinking that his little sister is going to need someone to protect her. But in the end, will the panther, rumored to be an actual demon, win, or Samantha prove to be fiercer?

In this award-winning novel set in the 1930s, a USDA agent’s visit to the North Carolina mountains ends in devastating tragedy. Virginia Furman has been sent by the federal government to North Carolina to help people learn about the latest upgrades they can make to their farms and homes. Irene Lambey is the wife of Brodis, a preacher, who longs for a life away from her difficult husband, and is drawn to Virginia’s independence and education. At night, Irene wanders the woods, her only time to be free of Brodis. But between this and Irene’s interest in Virginia, Brodis becomes convinced that Irene is involved in witchcraft, and his fear and brute nature will lead to devastation.

This haunting book is set partly in the present and partly in the past. After the death of her father, Ganga and her mother flee Sri Lanka to their relatives in America, where Ganga tries to fit in and be like the other teenagers. But the violence and tragedy of the past haunt her, and as Ganga moves forward to college and love, unexpected events have her questioning her choices, and lead to a horrible act.

This is the debut novel from the Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright of Topdog/ Underdog. It’s the 1960s in Texas, and 16-year-old Billy Beede is unmarried and pregnant and in need of help. Her mother, Willa Mae, died years before, in another state, and there are rumors that she was buried with jewels. But word gets back to Billy that her mother’s final resting place is going to soon be under pavement. So Billy steals a car and sets out to find her mother’s grave and, hopefully, dig up her fortune. The novel is told through multiple points of view, from Billy to her aunt and uncle, to her mother’s old lover, Dill.

This award-winning novel is also about mothers and daughters, and set in the 1960s, this time in Chicago at the Blue Angel club. It’s about Naomi Hill, a talented jazz singer who has been trying to break into stardom for a decade. When she finally catches a big break, the fame and attention that come with it make things harder for her and her 10-year-old daughter, Sophia, who worries that Naomi’s bright light will burn out too soon.

Oh, hey, another book set in the 1960s! This is a gripping debut in the vein of Bastard Out of Carolina that will break your heart. It’s about a young girl named Ari, whose fractured home life is filled with violence and danger. After the death of her father, eight-year-old Ari is sent to live with her aunts, but after a brief respite from her mother, she is sent back to her mother and sisters and the men that come in and out of her mother’s orbit. Helping Ari get through this time is her imaginary seahorse friend, Jasper. It’s a heart-squeezing coming-of-age story about imagination and trauma, a difficult read but also an amazing one.

When Elsa Pendleton is orphaned and left guardian of her younger sister, Alice, she forsakes love and enters a marriage of convenience with anthropologist Edward Beazley. He promises to care for them both, and soon they join him on an expedition to Easter Island. Elsa thinks the trip will be good for Alice, but their remoteness leaves them unaware that WWI has started, and a German naval squadron is going to land soon. Sixty years later, a grieving American botanist travels to Easter Island, and the stories of both the women unfold as they work to find themselves and overcome the tragedy in their lives.

And last but not least, this excellent, engrossing debut is about two young women trying to make their way, set 30 years apart. In Hong Kong in 1966, Sook-Yin is sent away from her home to train as a nurse in England and send money back to her family. But the choices she makes send her down a different path. And three decades later in London, Lily goes looking for answers about her mother, who died when she was very young, after learning she has been named a beneficiary in the will of a rich stranger in China.