Hi there, historical fiction fans. Let’s talk WWII fiction, shall we? I bet you have thoughts. Most historical fiction readers do. Love it or hate it, you probably have strong feelings one way or the other when it comes to World War II era historical fiction. I know I do.
World War II fiction was probably among my very first introductions to historical fiction. Aside from the Scholastic series Dear America and The Royal Diaries, one of the first historical fiction novels I remember reading is The Devil’s Arithmetic. It was assigned reading in my fifth grade class, and I remember being so shocked and horrified at what I read that I immediately wanted to find more books to help me learn about people’s experiences during World War II. That is, until I’d read so many books set during that time period that I started searching out historical fiction about anything else. But while I’ve sometimes gotten fatigued with WWII fiction since, there’s a reason it keeps being published: because there are always new stories to be told and new atrocities and heroics to be brought to light.
And 2022 is full of new WWII stories ready to be told. From spies and codebreakers to nuclear research and the war in Asia, these books illuminate new aspects of WWII and tell exciting–and devastating–new stories.
Peach Blossom Spring by Melissa Fu
This multigenerational drama follows a Chinese family forced to flee their home in 1938 as the Japanese army approaches. Years later in America, a girl desperate to understand her heritage comes up against her father’s refusal to talk about his childhood in China. Peach Blossom Spring depicts a part of WWII not often written about in Western literature: the eight year Second Sino-Japanese War.
Sisters of Night and Fog by Erika Robuck
Two young women involved in clandestine work in the European theater of World War II are brought together–and their work brought to an abrupt halt–in Ravensbrück concentration camp. One is an American married to a Frenchman who couldn’t let the atrocities she was witnessing stand. The other, a 19-year-old crack shot recruited by Britain’s Special Operations Executive. And though they’ll both be captured, they’ll make a difference before their work is done.
The Silent Unseen by Amanda McCrina
After years of forced labor in a Nazi concentration camp, 16-year-old Maria is finally making her way home. But instead of her family and her home, she finds her village destroyed in a war between Polish Resistance and Ukrainian nationalists. Maria isn’t sure what to think, but when her brother, the leader of the local resistance, goes missing, a young Ukrainian prisoner may be the only person who can help her find him.
The Half-Life of Ruby Fielding by Lydia Kang
Two siblings contributing to the state-side war effort in the United States are rocked when they find a woman hiding under their back stairs. Could this dangerous woman with an affinity for poisons and a mysterious past be a spy? Even as they question her motives, they find themselves falling under her spell. And with Maggie working in the naval yard and Will working on the secretive Manhattan Project, that’s really not something they can afford.
The Codebreaker’s Secret by Sara Ackerman (August 2, 2022)
War in the Pacific rages on as Isabel Cooper and her fellow codebreakers work nonstop trying to decipher the messages they intercept from the airwaves. It’s the best way she can think of to avenge her brother’s death. But when she meets his best friend, a hotshot pilot, she realizes she wants more than just revenge. And 20 years in the future, two photographers discover a secret dating all the way back to WWII that would shock even a codebreaker.
Don’t forget you can get three free audiobooks at Audiobooks.com with a free trial!
MORE FROM AROUND THE WEB:
The twelve best new WWII books of 2022 according to Book Authority.
Kate Quinn, author of The Rose Code and The Alice Network, has a new WWII short story available on Amazon.
Six works of historical fiction highlighting resiliency amidst war from The Washington Post.
BOOK RIOT RECS:
8 New Historical Fiction Reads Set During and After WWII
8 Stories of Unsung Heroes of WWII
11 Books About the Incarceration of Japanese Americans During WWII
That’s it for now, folx! Stay subscribed for more stories of yesteryear.
If you want to talk books (historical or otherwise), you can find me @rachelsbrittain on Instagram, Goodreads, Litsy, and occasionally Twitter.
Right now I’m reading A Restless Truth by Freya Marske. What about you?