The Book of Lost Names by Kristin Harmel

Based on a true story from the Second World War, it chronicles the life of a semi-retired librarian called Eva Traube Abrams and how she faces her past in a thrilling and heart-wrenching story of bravery, loss, and resilience in the face of oppression. As a graduate student fleeing war-ridden Europe, Eva had taken up the charge to help hundreds of Jewish children escape the Nazis by forging identity papers for them with the help of a mysterious forger named Remy. Finally, they had collected the true names of the children in a book called The Book of Lost Names and had hidden it using a complicated code known only to Eva. Years after the war, the book has finally resurfaced and the reader follows the life of Eva as she takes some key decisions in her life in what is a brilliantly thought-provoking narrative of the events of the Second World War.

Hour of the Witch by Chris Bohjalian

The author takes us back to the 17th century in the United States of America in a book that is reminiscent of the infamous Salem witch hunt which is, this time, set in Boston instead. The protagonist of the book, Mary Deerfield, is a young Puritan woman stuck in an abusive marriage that she wishes to get out of. But divorce back in the 17th century was a topic that would certainly get many tongues wagging and Mary soon finds herself in the middle of a sinister ring of mounting suspicion with history standing against her. This book touches upon female-centric topics as it navigates a time when the world, faith, and society all stood against the protagonist who is accused of swearing allegiance to the devil, leaving her to prove her innocence, or face death by hanging.

Fast Girls by Elise Hooper

Combining history, sports, and gender equality, Elise Hooper’s Fast Girls is a book that is inspired by and that celebrates three lesser-known sportswomen and their journey towards the 1936 Berlin Olympics. The sportswomen –– Betty Robinson, Louise Stokes and Helen Stephens –– all come from different states and with different dreams, battling racial and gender oppression to fight for a chance to shine in the 1936 Olympics amidst growing international and political tensions. The book highlights their very personal struggles, what it means to be a woman, especially a woman of colour, trying to break the glass ceiling in the world of sports, and how these women set the stage for the others who came after them to stand up against the same struggles and believe in the same dreams.

The Jane Austen Society by Natalie Jenner

A compelling read for all the lovers of Jane Austen who will surely adore each reference made to her many works, her life, and her words, The Jane Austen Society is set in the post World War II world where eight people from extremely different walks of life band together in the remote village of Chawton, which was also Jane Austen’s last home, to form a society that celebrates everything, Austen. The group of eight passionate people form this society to try and save her Chawton estate from falling into ruin and decay. The estate is set to be sold off to the highest bidder at a great loss to the heritage, life and impressions of Austen herself and the book chronicles her history, the rise of ‘‘Austenmania’’, and decodes why people have held her with such love and regard through fiction.

A Long Petal of the Sea by Isabel Allende

This book talks of the hope and life that exists among the death and despair of war. Set during the Spanish Civil War, the book chronicles the lives of people aboard a ship, the SS Winnipeg, that is taking them away from their war-torn country into the unknown, looking for a new place to call home. The book sets light on the problem of refugees, the truths behind the aftermath of war, and how one can look for a silver lining even amongst the darkest clouds. The protagonists, a pregnant young woman and an army doctor, along with two thousand other refugees face exile and bear trials to try and carve a new life for themselves in a cruel and unwelcoming world.

The Stationery Shop of Tehran by Marjan Kamali

Set in 1953 Tehran, the book pens down a love story that blooms amid the bloody and historic coup d’etat in Iran that had changed the political scenario in the country forever. The author introduces us to Roya and Bahman who meet in the middle of a stationery shop filled with inkpots, parchment and pens and who instantly fall in love with each other. But trouble knocks at their doors when violence erupts on the eve of their wedding day and Bahman goes missing during all the chaos. A slow-burning, tear-jerker that utilises the Iranian coup to raise several important points about politics, violence, and the after-effects of the same, the author is successful in penning an extremely moving story with a backdrop of major historical significance.

The Woman in the White Kimono by Ana Johns

Set in post-World War II Japan, The Woman in the White Kimono sheds light on little-known Japanese-American tensions and political relations after the events of the war. The story follows a past meets present narrative and is based on many true stories and instances. It is both heart-warming and alarming in parts as the reader is introduced to 17-year-old Naoko Nakamura who has fallen in love with an American sailor and now faces shamed ostracisation and certain banishment from society in 1957 Japan. In a different timeline more aligned with the present day, American Tori Kovac is faced with a revelation about her past from her dying father and now has to travel to Japan to put them to rest. A compelling read with many twists and turns, it is passionate in its subject and entertaining in its narrative.

The Secrets We Keep by Lara Prescott

A book relying on the shoulders of secrets, spies, agents, and the Cold War, it amasses in twists and turns while giving the reader a taste of what it was like to be a part of two warring nations in the aftermath of the Second World War. The book is inspired by the true story of how Doctor Zhivago by Boris Pasternak was banned in the Soviet Union and how that helped establish the bedrock for the United States to commence political propaganda and steal the manuscript from the Soviets to make it available for publishing worldwide. They send two of their agents to finish the job, and our protagonists dive deep into the unknown in a thrilling and fascinating tale of espionage.

Salt Houses by Hala Alyan

Hala Alyan creates a beautifully lyrical story of loss, healing and remembrance when faced with ruin and dejection as Salt Houses takes its readers into the heart of the Middle East, and slowly works its way up from the Six-Day War of 1967, the First Intifada of 1987, the Gulf War of 1990, the Second Intifada of 2000, the events of 9/11 and the Lebanon War of 2006 by tracing its devastating effects on the Yacoub family who find themselves trapped in the middle of political turmoil as their foundations crumble around them. A book with many real-life connotations, it talks about war, the devastating effects of it, the refugee crisis, racism, turmoil and loss in what is a very real-life picture etched in a fictional world.

The Island of Sea Women by Lisa See

A feminist narrative intertwined with history, The Island of Sea Women takes up the story of the female divers at Jeju Island in South Korea and how the events during Japanese colonialism, the Second World War, the Korean War and present-day modernisation shaped their lives, and more importantly their relationships with one another. The protagonists of the story start out as two girls called Mi-Ja and Young-Sook who are connected through a strong bond of friendship which is forever tested by class differences and political changes. A thought-provoking and heart-wrenching tale of friendship, conflict, family tensions, and rifts, this is a story where the women rule the pages and do so unabashedly to create an unforgettable read.