Many readers have strict definitions of historical fiction. For example, they might think it must be plausible or at least possible. Historical fiction authors like Lisa See do lots of research, citing nonfiction sources and translators in their afterwords. Of course, even when novels are based on real people and events, they’re still made up. These novels are realistic, but they encourage readers to research history and make it clear that the stories and characters’ emotions are imagined. So, that’s why I find emphasis on accuracy in historical fiction misleading. Historical novels often provide vivid, believable stories, but they’re not a replacement for reading history.
The time frame for historical fiction is also debatable. Some readers and organizations define historical fiction as set 35 years or more in the past; others say it’s at least 50 years. Some historical fiction wouldn’t work without being set 10-20 years before it was written, but that’s not the typical definition.
Many historical novels blend genres and defy conventions. You might expect all historical novels to be written in past tense, but Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel is a famous example that is entirely in present tense. It might even be surprising to find ghosts in a historical novel—unless it’s written in the mode of magical realism. These six novels push the boundaries of the genre or fit into more than one category.
 North Woods by Daniel MasonThis National Book Critics Circle Award finalist is set in Western Massachusetts. It’s a multi-generational novel, starting with the first European settlers in the area in the 1600s and finishing in the present. One 19th-century character, Charles Osgood, seems inspired by the real person known as Johnny Appleseed. I don’t want to spoil this inventive book, but readers expecting a conventional, historical novel will find supernatural surprises. |
 Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline BoulleyDaunis Fontaine is a high school senior with a white mom and an Ojibwe dad. Her passion for chemistry and languages helps her solve a mystery affecting her community. I know it’s debatable to call a novel set in 2003 historical. I was in high school around that time and think this specific year is crucial to the story. Mp3 players, cell phones, and hotel key cards were all new tech in 2003—and they all play important roles in the plot. Firekeeper’s Daughter won an Edgar Award in 2022. It’s a YA novel with deep characterization and a thriller that deals sensitively with drug use and rape. |
 The Frozen River by Ariel LawhonIn 1789 Maine, town residents discover a body in the Kennebec River. The protagonist, Martha Ballard, is a midwife—and an unofficial medical examiner. It might seem surprising that she investigates murders, but her knowledge of anatomy and forensics is unmatched in her community. This historical mystery includes her private journal entries, which record births, deaths, and sexual assaults. Overall, though, it’s not an epistolary novel. The author’s note explains that the fictional Martha Ballard was inspired by a real midwife with that name, who kept detailed diaries. |
 Inside Out & Back Again by Thanhha LaiThis middle grade historical novel won a National Book Award and received a Newbery Honor in 2011. It’s written in the form of short, free-verse poems that let readers into the young protagonist’s emotions. It begins during the Vietnam War, at the time of the Tết offensive. Hà Kim, the main character, is a girl from South Vietnam who journeys to the US with her family as a refugee. She’s based on the author’s own childhood experiences. |
 Ten Incarnations of Rebellion by Vaishnavi PatelRelease date: June 3, 2025 In this upcoming novel, the author of Kaikeyi imagines an alternate history of India. Britain still colonized India through the 1960s in this novel’s universe, and Mumbai is called Kingston. The preface makes it clear that the events in the novel aren’t real history, and Patel recommends nonfiction sources at the end of the novel. |
 The Underground Railroad by Colson WhiteheadThis 2016 novel won the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize. It brilliantly defies genres and styles, blending historical fiction, science fiction, and surrealism. The novel’s Underground Railroad is literally composed of steam trains. After escaping enslavement by riding one of these trains, Cora works in a bizarre museum, where she’s forced to act out racist myths all day. It’s a unique, must-read book, like a mirror-universe version of the pre-Civil War US South. |
Do you love inventive historical novels too? Try these books about historical events that aren’t fictionalized often or widely known.
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English (US) ·