Historical Fiction

I really enjoy Daniel Mason’s writing. I loved The Winter Soldier. (Now that I think of it, I should read that one again. It’s so good!) But Mason really surprised me with this book. It is refreshing, funny, and a little chaotic. It follows the history of a single piece of land in the woods of western Massachusetts from first contact into the future. It’s the story of the land, the animals that live there, and the house that stands on it and how they change with each generation, but also how each generation is influenced by the land and the house. It is full of these beautiful connections woven throughout the generations—sometimes in completely unexpected ways. One of my favorite parts of the novel are the ghostly ballads written by two twin sisters that are used as interludes between chapters. Yes, this novel is ambitious. And Mason succeeds. -Anne M

A lot of “pandemic novels” are coming out right now—at least narratives inspired by or written during the pandemic and everything that happened within that time. They provide a window into what authors were thinking about, working through, or grappling with during the height of the pandemic. Lauren Groff’s thinking was pretty bleak. Her thoughts turned to the “Starving Time” of Jamestown: crops failed, disease flourished, and those that survived ate everything. The narrative centers on a white servant girl, who is called many different names in her short life, and her decision to run away from the colonial settlement and strike out on her own in hopes of finding the French. She is hungry and afraid in the settlement and what is unknown to her beyond the palisade holds better chances for survival. The story follows her during those first few weeks with glimpses into how she found herself on this side of the Atlantic. This survival novel is engrossing, and it takes on quite a few subjects: colonization, land use, 17th century religion, and the oppressively hierarchical structure of English society. But also, what does it mean to be human when you are alone? What does real survival mean? Groff left me with more questions than answers, but good novelists do that. -Anne M

I really found this novel captivating. Told from many different points of view, the novel centers on Beatrix, who is sent to the United States as part of a program to evacuate children from London during the Blitz. We hear from her parents as they wring their hands on sending her away, the family in Boston who take her in, and of course, Bea herself. Bea grows up in America, comes of age, and has hopes, triumphs, as well as disappointments. But she has to go back. This is one of those novels that you are unsure what the right course is: does she belong in London or in Boston? What does Bea want? This evacuation has consequences that reverberate through her life and the lives of her family, both paternal and found. -Anne M

To cut to the chase, I couldn't put this novel down. It is a research mystery about a family past, which I loved. It is also beautifully written. It is also a novel rooted in truth. There really was a postcard and it was really sent to Anne Berest's mother. And Anne Berest and her mother did conduct this family research. But the fictionalized elements fill in the gap of the history that was erased--the stories of Berest's great-grandparents and great aunt and uncle could not pass down. Their memories were extinguished at Auschwitz If you appreciate the role that novels play in showing you something, "The Postcard" is the novel that encapsulates the idea of inherited trauma. -Anne M