What’s better than spending long summer days transported into the past by a book?
CBC Books has compiled a list of Canadian historical fiction novels to keep you entertained. From 17th century Quebec to 1911 China to Montreal during Expo ’67, these books offer a wide variety of places and time periods to get lost in.
Wild People Quiet by Tara Gereaux
In Wild People Quiet, set in Saskatchewan in the 1940s, a Métis woman named Florence is hiding her true identity while living in a primarily white town, dyeing her hair blonde and doing what she can to blend in. When she meets a group of Métis farm workers in town for the season, she’s forced to come to terms with her hidden past and must decide how she wants to move forward.
Tara Gereaux, a citizen of the Metis Nation-Saskatchewan, lives in Regina. She is the author of Saltus and Size of a Fist, both of which were shortlisted for Saskatchewan Book Awards.
Liberty Street by Heather Marshall
In Liberty Street, it’s 1961 and an editorial assistant at Chatelaine magazine in Toronto receives a tip from an inmate at a woman’s prison alleging horrific conditions. Hoping for her big break, she decides to go undercover to see what’s really going on inside. Decades later, a detective looking into remains discovered in an unmarked grave stumbles upon a story with haunting personal connections.
Heather Marshall is also the author of the novels Looking For Jane and The Secret History of Audrey James. She is based near Toronto.
Treat Them As Buffalo by Blair Palmer Yoxall
It’s 1855 and young Niko Eriksen spends his days playing buffalo hunter in the novel Treat Them as Buffalo. When his cousin goes missing in broad daylight, things start to fall apart. With law enforcement refusing to investigate the disappearance, a coalition of women, including Niko’s family members, takes matters into their own hands.
Blair Palmer Yoxall is a writer and poet from Calgary. His work has been shortlisted for a 2017 Norma Epstein Foundation Award and a 2019 Indigenous Voices Award. His poetry and fiction have appeared in Glass Buffalo, The Fiddlehead and Carving Space: The Indigenous Voices Awards Anthology. Yoxall is a citizen of the Métis Nation of Alberta and is of Métis and settler parentage.
The Winter Witch by Jennifer Chevalier
In The Winter Witch, sisters Élisabeth and Marthe make a reluctant journey from Normandy, France to Quebec in the 17th century after a scandal makes them ineligible for marriage in their home village. Élisabeth is convinced that coming to Montreal, the holiest place on Earth, will help free her from the curse she’s certain lives inside her. But when she’s unsuccessful, Marthe suggests she turn to Jeanne Roy, thought to be a powerful witch, for help instead.
Jennifer Chevalier is the showrunner of The House, CBC Radio’s political show. She lives in Ottawa. The Winter Witch is her first novel.
Letters to Kafka by Christine Estima
Letters to Kafka, set in 1919 Vienna, follows Milena Jesenská, a 23-year-old trapped in a loveless marriage who translates to supplement her husband’s income. After meeting Franz Kafka in Prague, she sends him a letter asking permission to translate one of his stories from German to Czech. This leads to a passionate conversation through letters, eventually resulting in two meetings — and an affair that might be so much more.
Christine Estima is a writer and journalist living in Toronto. She is the author of the short story collection The Syrian Ladies Benevolent Society. Her work has appeared in New York Times, The Walrus, Vice, the Globe and Mail and CBC. In 2015, she was longlisted for the CBC Short Story Prize.
City of The Muse by Kate Hilton
City of the Muse is a dual timeline novel about renowned papyrologist Helen Gardiner, who is sent on a dig to Egypt in 1903, and modern-day Toronto archivist Maddie, who’s in a rut, both personally and professionally, after she breaks up with her boyfriend.
When a TV archeologist comes to verify the origins of an Egyptian collection (the very one that Helen was working on), he and Maddie begin to uncover the truth behind the objects and learn of a murder that’s been kept under wraps for over a century.
Kate Hilton is the author of The Hole in the Middle, Just Like Family and Better Luck Next Time. She also co-wrote the Quill and Packet mystery series, including Bury the Lead, with Elizabeth Renzetti. In addition to writing, Hilton is also a psychotherapist.
I Remember Lights by Ben Ladouceur
I Remember Lights is about a young gay man who finds romance on a trip to Montreal during the celebrations of Expo ’67. However, a decade later, he is struck with the harsh dilemma that many like him must confront — the choice between happiness and safety — when the 1977 police raid on the Truxx gay bar shakes his world.
Ben Ladouceur, from Ottawa, is best known for his poetry collections, including Otter, which won the Gerald Lampert Memorial Award for best debut collection and Mad Long Emotion, which won the Archibald Lampman Award. In 2018, Ladouceur received the Dayne Ogilvie Prize for LGBTQ emerging writers. I Remember Lights is on the Amazon Canada First Novel Award shortlist.
The Chambermaid’s Key by Genevieve Graham
The Chambermaid’s Key is a dual-timeline novel set in 1929 and present day Toronto. In 1929, Rosie is a maid at the Dominion Hotel, a fancy new spot far away from the city’s roughest neighbourhood. But not everything is as shiny as it seems at the Dominion, and the murder of a friend has Rosie in way over her head.
In the present day, Bridget is a building inspector tasked with investigating the Dominion Hotel’s recent renovations. The more layers she peels back, the closer she gets to discovering the truth. But there’s someone out there who doesn’t want anything to get out.
Genevieve Graham is an author based in Alberta. Her books include The Secret Keeper, On Isabella Street, Bluebird and The Forgotten Home Child.
Palaces of the Crow by Ray Nayler
Palaces of the Crow tells the story of four teens on the run from Nazis and the Red Army trying to survive the winter in the woods. Neriya is Jewish and dreams of becoming a biologist; Kezia is a Roma horse trader; Czeslaw is an underage soldier who deserts the Red Army; and Innokentiy is a boy who cannot speak. Together, with the help of the crows Neriya befriends, they hide from the human threats of the Second World War and build a connection in the darkest of times.
Ray Nayler is the author of The Mountain in the Sea, which won the Locus Award for best first novel and was shortlisted for the Nebula Award. Born in Quebec, he is currently based in Washington, D.C.
The Fourth Princess by Janie Chang
The Fourth Princess is the story of two women living in a once-forsaken mansion on the outskirts of Shanghai’s International Settlement, set in 1911. American Caroline Stanton is the new mistress of the mansion and Lisan Liu is her secretary. As they get sucked deeper into the manor’s dark history, guests at a party begin to bring forth secrets from the past that threaten the status quo.
Janie Chang was born in Taiwan and lives in British Columbia. She is the author of five published historical fiction novels, including Three Souls, Dragon Springs Road, The Library of Legends, The Porcelain Moon and The Phoenix Crown, which was co-written with Kate Quinn.
