3 'transporting' novels that highlight forgotten histories
Talia Kliot offers historical fiction recommendations on The Next Chapter with Antonio Michael Downing
Ever a popular genre in bookstores, historical fiction is something that columnist and CBC Books associate producer Talia Kliot keeps coming back to time period and time period again.
Kliot finds that the mark of an interesting historical novel now is one that gives voice to a part of the past that was previously lost or hidden. She's noted, "It's really focusing on untold stories, stories that don't always make the history books and that's also part of the reason why it's having such a moment, because there's such a hunger to learn about these stories that haven't historically been told."
She spoke to The Next Chapter's Antonio Michael Downing about three different books which helped her empathize with characters of the past.
The Laundryman's Boy by Edward Y. C. Lee
Hoi Wing's aspirations of education are dashed when the 13-year-old is forced to work in a Chinese laundromat in St. Catherines, Ont as The Laundryman's Boy. There, amid the mindless toil of handwashing clothing, he meets Heather. The Irish scullery maid shares Hoi Wing's love of books, and their friendship — and reading hideout — blooms in secret. An entrepreneur, Jonathan Braddock, is the founder of the Asiatic Exclusion League and if he wins his mayoral bid, Hoi Wing will be deported.
Edward Y. C. Lee was born in Montreal and now lives with his wife and daughter in Toronto. His writing has been published in literary magazines and publications like the Toronto Star and the Globe and Mail. The Laundryman's Boy is his debut novel.
Talia Kliot says: "It's a really good combination when you've got historical fiction and coming of age because you may not have grown up enduring these historical periods, but you have dealt with everything that a teenager has dealt with … that adds understanding to the time period."
The Secret History of Audrey James by Heather Marshall
The Secret History of Audrey James tells the story of Audrey James, a pianist who is about to graduate from music school. Living with her best friend Ilse Kaplan, she dreads returning home to England and leaving Ilse behind. But as the Nazi party's power increases, Ilse's family is targeted. Her parents and brother disappear and her house is confiscated by Nazi officials. Little do they know, Ilse is hiding in the attic and Audrey becomes their housekeeper in the hopes of saving her friend.
Heather Marshall is a writer from Toronto. She holds two master's degrees in Canadian history and political science and pivoted to writing fiction after working for many years in politics and communications. Her debut novel, Looking for Jane, was named one of Indigo's Top 10 Books of 2022 and Globe & Mail's Top 100 Books of 2022.
Talia Kliot says: "Marshall really wanted to try and tell the story of women in this historical period. What were the women doing during that time? Audrey James, because she's a woman, she's able to pass through the cracks unsuspected and get information to help the resistance movement that someone different wouldn't be able to do."
The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón
The first book in the Cemetery of Forgotten Books series, The Shadow of the Wind follows the son of an antique book dealer in 1945, Barcelona. Grappling with the loss of his mother and the consequences of the Spanish Civil War, Daniel finds a book called The Shadow of the Wind by Julián Carax and uncovers a mystery in which no trace of Carax's work is to be found aside from the book Daniel now holds. Searching for meaning and truth, Daniel is set on a journey into the shadowed corners of the city.
Carlos Ruiz Zafón was a prolific Spanish writer best known for his novel The Shadow of the Wind. He previously worked as a publicist before becoming a writer and his other novels include The Mist Trilogy and The Labyrinth of Spirits. Zafón died in 2020 at the age of 55.
Talia Kliot says: "It's historical fiction, it's magic realism, it's gothic and it's set in Barcelona right after the Spanish Civil War. The atmosphere is really really tense."
Talia Kliot's comments have been edited for length and clarity.
