Historical Fiction: World War II

World War II seems to be trending these days. For decades there have been historical fiction novels set in 1940s Europe, but in the past decade there seems to be even more of them. Could it be that the farther in time we get from that infamous period in human history the more curious we become about it? Most of the youngest survivors from that time are now in their late 80s or 90s, and it won't be long before all the survivors will be gone. There will be no one with firsthand memories of the Holocaust and daily life in wartime Europe.

Some World War II fiction published in the past decade include:

• All the Light We Cannot See (Anthony Doerr)  The Pulitzer Prize-winning book about two teenagers during the war. One is a blind girl in Nazi-occupied France, the other is a German boy forced into the Nazi army.
• The Nightingale (Kristin Hannah)  Tells the story of two sisters trying to survive in France during the Nazi occupation.
• Lilac Girls (Martha Hall Kelly)  The lives of three women (a New York socialite/philanthropist, a concentration camp prisoner, and a concentration camp doctor) are intertwined.
• The Tattooist of Auschwitz (Heather Morris)  A Slovakian Jew speaking several languages is put to work tattooing new camp prisoners, seeing the worst and best of human behavior.
• The Rose Code (Kate Quinn)  Three female code breakers at England's Bletchley Park become friends, but after the war, one of them is betrayed by a co-worker and is put in an asylum.
• Eternal (Lisa Scottoline)  A love triangle of three teenagers is told against the backdrop of Rome in Mussolini's Italy.
• The Paris Library (Janet Skeslien Charles)  Based on the true story of librarians at the American Library in Paris during World War II.

There are a number of other historical fiction books beside these that are set during the war. Have you read any? Share the titles with us!

Wishing you interesting travels through time from the perch.