In the strictest sense, historical fiction provides an historical landscape through which fictional characters move. Thus, the genre requires scrupulous research and attention to detail. Anachronisms are often jarring, and rip the reader from suspension of disbelief into questioning the premises of the work.
On the other hand, historical fiction can bring history to life in a way that no dry recitation of dates or lists of monarchs can. It offers rich opportunities to explore history from unique perspectives through the eyes of the characters. Through historical fiction, we can vicariously experience the earlier times which shaped our own.
Kaʻaʻawa: A Novel About Hawaii in the 1850s
By O.A Bushnell
In my opinion, this is the greatest work of historical fiction ever written about Hawaiʻi. Bushnell was a microbiologist and medical historian, and wrote fiction as a hobby. When others were trying to eradicate pidgin, he was a strong proponent for writing in our local vernacular. The first half of the book is written from the viewpoint of a fictional character who is a contemporary of our great Hawaiian writers, such as ʻIʻi. Bushnell’s text shows that he was intimately familiar with the writing style.
The Adventures of Kamaka Holmes
Mystery and murder, this series is a Holmsian pastiche set in Hilo, Hawaiʻi. One of the Amazon reviews states: In this new series of Sherlock Holmes pastiches, the puzzles are moved from Victorian London to the Hawaiian Kingdom, and the detective — a distant cousin of Sherlockʻs named Kamaka Holmes — is a half-Hawaiian young woman with a passion for scientific tools and methods of detection. Her “Watson” is her orphaned cousin Fevronia, who recently immigrated from America. The other repeating characters are a delightfully diverse set including a Chinese immigrant family who work in the Holmes Emporium and a pair of Kanaka ʻŌiwi (Indigenous) policemen. . . seamlessly integrated bits of Doyleʻs texts into fast-moving plots while providing many insights into the cultural complexity of Hilo in the 1880s. Extra fun for those who know a little of the language (a glossary is provided, as well as maps), but readers who know only the word “aloha” will be happily carried along.
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Plantation Boy
by Milton Murayama
I know the people in this novel. They are fictional, but I KNOW them. They are the friends of my dad, of my uncle. They are the parents of my schoolmates. Rather than the lushly drawn landscapes of text I generally choose, Plantation Boy is spare, lean. Murayama uses text the way sumie artists uses ink. Every line means something. Like the people it depicts, nothing is wasted. If you enjoy the work of Lois Ann Yamanaka, you will probably enjoy this.