Historical Fiction

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August in the Vanishing City

August in the Vanishing City

Lakis Polycarpou

Set in Cyprus in the mid-1990s, August in the Vanishing City follows Petros, a young Greek Cypriot soldier struggling with love, loss, and the consequences of living on a divided island. Two decades after the Turkish invasion of 1974, the coastal city of Varosha, once a glamorous holiday destination, lies abandoned behind barbed wire and military barriers. For those who were forced to flee, it remains a painful reminder of the homes and lives they lost. When Petros discovers that Joanna, the woman he has loved since childhood, has fallen for his best friend Elias, he becomes desperate to win her back. His plan leads him to attempt a dangerous journey into Varosha to retrieve a personal keepsake connected to their shared past. Crossing into the restricted city means risking his life, as the area remains under military control. As Petros navigates the ruins of a vanished world, he must confront not only the dangers surrounding him but also his own ideas about love, loyalty, and what is worth fighting for. His personal struggle unfolds against the broader tensions between Greek and Turkish Cypriots, revealing how political conflict shapes relationships and individual choices. Combining romance, suspense, and historical context, Polycarpou’s novel explores the meaning of home, the wounds of displacement, and the enduring effects of war on ordinary people. Varosha itself becomes a powerful symbol of interrupted lives and memories that refuse to disappear.

The Blue Between Sky and Water

The Blue Between Sky and Water

In 1947, the Baraka family lives in Beit Daras, a Palestinian village surrounded by olive groves and fertile farmland. When their home is destroyed and the family is forced to flee during the Nakba, siblings Nazmiyeh and Mamdouh embark on separate journeys that will shape the lives of generations to come. In Gaza, Nazmiyeh struggles to rebuild her life in a refugee community, preserving her family’s traditions and nurturing the people around her despite repeated hardships. Meanwhile, Mamdouh eventually settles in the United States, where his granddaughter Nur grows up far from her ancestral homeland, struggling with loneliness and a fractured sense of belonging. Decades later, Nur travels to Gaza, where she encounters Alwan and her son Khaled, whose mysterious condition connects their families in unexpected ways. Blending Palestinian history, magical realism, and the intimate stories of several generations, Susan Abulhawa’s novel explores displacement, inherited trauma, family bonds, and the enduring longing for home.

Yalo

Set in Beirut in the aftermath of Lebanon’s long civil war, Yalo follows Daniel Habil Abyad, a young Lebanese man of Assyrian Christian background whose life has been shaped by violence, displacement, and fractured family relationships. Known as Yalo, he is arrested and accused of rape and armed robbery, then subjected to brutal interrogation and torture. His interrogators demand a confession, forcing him to write and rewrite the story of his life until his memories become entangled with their expectations. As he revisits his childhood, his troubled relationship with his mother, and his obsessive pursuit of a woman named Shireen, the boundaries between truth, guilt, and imposed identity begin to dissolve. Through this disturbing psychological journey, Elias Khoury examines how violence distorts memory and how authoritarian power can manufacture a person’s identity. Both unsettling and deeply humane, Yalo asks whether we can ever truly understand ourselves when our stories are shaped by fear, desire, and the need to survive.

The Woman Who Read Too Much

The Woman Who Read Too Much

Bahiyyih Nakhjavani

Set in nineteenth-century Persia, The Woman Who Read Too Much reimagines the life of Táhirih Qurratu’l-Ayn, a celebrated poet, scholar and religious revolutionary who challenged the conventions of her time. Known as the poetess of Qazvin, Táhirih unsettles the ruling establishment through her intellect, her writings and her defiance of religious orthodoxy. In a society where women’s education and independence are tightly restricted, her ability to read, think and speak openly becomes both a source of inspiration and a perceived threat to those in power. Nakhjavani tells Táhirih’s story through the perspectives of four women: the Shah’s mother, the mayor’s wife, the Shah’s sister and Táhirih’s daughter. Their contrasting accounts reveal how power, fear, loyalty and rumour shape the telling of history. Blending historical events with imaginative storytelling, the novel explores the price of intellectual freedom and the courage required to challenge entrenched authority.

The Orphan Sky

The Orphan Sky follows Leila, a young Azerbaijani woman whose life is shaped by the tensions between personal ambition, family expectations, and the political realities of her country. Growing up in a society where tradition and modernity frequently collide, Leila dreams of a future that allows her to make her own choices. Her experiences reveal the pressures faced by women navigating restrictive social expectations while trying to establish an independent identity. As she confronts difficult relationships and the consequences of decisions made by those around her, Leila must reconsider what freedom and belonging mean to her. Through an intimate portrait of contemporary Azerbaijani life, Leya explores the complexities of cultural identity, the influence of family history, and the struggle to determine one’s own future in a society undergoing profound change.

Azerbaijan 2015

Orhan's Inheritance

Orhan's Inheritance

Aline Ohanesian

Orhan’s Inheritance follows Orhan, a young Turkish man who unexpectedly inherits his grandfather’s house in a village in Anatolia. The inheritance is complicated by the appearance of Seda, an elderly Armenian American woman who claims that the property belongs to her family. Determined to understand the dispute, Orhan investigates his grandfather’s past and uncovers a history connected to the Armenian genocide of 1915. Through alternating perspectives and different periods, the novel reveals how violence, forced displacement, and silence have shaped two families across generations. As Orhan learns about the experiences of those who came before him, he must reconsider the stories he has inherited about his family and country. Ohanesian explores historical memory, responsibility, and the difficult process of confronting atrocities that remain painful long after the events themselves.

A General Theory of Oblivion

A General Theory of Oblivion

José Eduardo Agualusa

Set in Angola around the time of independence and the ensuing political turmoil, A General Theory of Oblivion follows Ludovica, a Portuguese woman who becomes terrified of the violence unfolding around her. After barricading herself inside her Luanda apartment, she isolates herself from the outside world, attempting to survive through the limited resources available to her. As the country undergoes dramatic transformations, Ludovica’s private existence becomes increasingly detached from the history unfolding beyond her walls. Her story gradually connects with those of other characters whose lives are shaped by political upheaval, chance, and the struggle to survive. Blending historical fiction, dark humour, and elements of the surreal, Agualusa explores solitude, memory, and the human capacity to construct a separate reality when the world outside becomes unbearable.

Meeting in Positano

Meeting in Positano

Goliarda Sapienza

Meeting in Positano is a posthumously published autobiographical novel that recounts Goliarda Sapienza’s encounter with Erica, a young woman she meets in the picturesque coastal town of Positano in southern Italy. Despite their differences in age, background, and temperament, the two women form an intense and unexpected bond that challenges their assumptions about friendship, independence, and belonging. Set against the sunlit landscapes and close-knit social world of postwar Italy, the novel explores the complexities of female relationships and the ways encounters with others can transform our understanding of ourselves. Sapienza reflects on freedom, loneliness, desire, and the tension between individual identity and social expectations. Her prose combines personal recollection with sharp observations of Italian society, revealing the emotional intensity beneath seemingly ordinary interactions. Both intimate and reflective, Meeting in Positano celebrates the unexpected connections that can emerge between women and the possibility of discovering new perspectives on life through another person’s presence.

Girl at War

Girl at War follows Ana Jurić, a ten-year-old girl growing up in Zagreb when the Yugoslav Wars erupt in the early 1990s. As violence spreads across Croatia, Ana’s childhood is shattered, and she experiences the devastating consequences of war, including the loss of loved ones and the destruction of her sense of security. After a traumatic journey, she eventually finds refuge in the United States, where she struggles to rebuild her life while carrying memories she cannot fully confront. Years later, Ana returns to Croatia, hoping to reconnect with her past and understand the experiences that shaped her identity. Moving between childhood and adulthood, Sara Nović explores trauma, displacement, survivor’s guilt, and the lasting psychological effects of conflict. The novel is a poignant examination of how war transforms individuals and communities, and how difficult it can be to reconcile the person one becomes with the person one once was.

A Brief History of Seven Killings

A Brief History of Seven Killings

Set primarily in Jamaica during the 1970s and extending into the 1990s, A Brief History of Seven Killings explores the political violence, gang warfare, and social upheaval surrounding the attempted assassination of reggae legend Bob Marley in 1976. Told through the perspectives of an expansive cast of characters, including gang members, journalists, politicians, and CIA operatives, the novel examines the complex relationships between crime, political power, and international interference. As the narrative moves from Kingston to the United States, it traces the long-term consequences of violence on individuals and communities. Through shifting voices, Jamaican patois, and an unflinching portrayal of historical events, Marlon James explores inequality, corruption, identity, and the lasting scars of political conflict. The novel offers a multifaceted portrait of Jamaica’s turbulent history and the human cost of violence.

Kintu

Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi

Set across several centuries of Ugandan history, Kintu is an ambitious family saga that reimagines the history, mythology, and cultural traditions of the Buganda kingdom. The story begins in 1750, when Kintu Kidda, a powerful provincial governor, travels to the capital to pledge allegiance to the new king. During the journey, a tragic incident sets a curse in motion, bringing suffering to his descendants for generations. Centuries later, members of the Kintu family struggle with personal tragedies, fractured relationships, and unexplained misfortunes. As they confront their shared history, they must decide whether their suffering stems from an ancestral curse, historical circumstances, or the unresolved conflicts passed down through generations. Blending Ugandan oral traditions, mythology, spirituality, and historical storytelling, Makumbi challenges conventional approaches to African history. The novel places indigenous Ugandan perspectives at its centre, exploring how colonialism, religious change, and modernisation have transformed cultural identity. It is both a multigenerational family epic and a powerful exploration of the relationship between personal memory and national history.

Unnecessary Woman

Unnecessary Woman

Rabih Alameddine

An Unnecessary Woman centres on Aaliya Saleh, a seventy-two-year-old woman living alone in Beirut. Divorced and estranged from much of her family, Aaliya has spent decades translating literary works into Arabic for her own satisfaction, often without publishing or sharing them. Books provide her with companionship, intellectual freedom, and a refuge from the expectations of a society that frequently overlooks older women. As political tensions and personal memories intrude on her carefully ordered life, Aaliya reflects on her relationships, the civil war, and the choices that have shaped her existence. Her solitary routine is disrupted when an unexpected event threatens to expose the private world she has built around literature. Alameddine explores ageing, independence, cultural identity, and the importance of art, portraying a woman who finds meaning not through conventional success but through the life of the mind.

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