Island Style: 7 Historical Novels Set on Islands

Landlocked during the dog days of summer, books set on islands surround me. T Kira Madden’s Whidbey rests on my desk. A bookmark saves my place in The Pōhaku by Jasmin ‘Iolani Hakes. Andrea Lee’s Red Island House graces the blue couch. Via audiobook, 10 hours of Everything to the Sea by Alicia Upano awaits me. At the library, my hold, Marisel Vera’s The Taste of Sugar, has arrived. I yearn to learn about picturesque locales hugged by water, vibrant places with their own people, culture, and stories, which led me to the genre of historical fiction. As the end of July approaches, it might be too late to plan a summer vacation, but it’s never too late to journey somewhere remote without leaving the comfort of your reading nook. In order of publication date, I’ve compiled a list of seven historical novels unfolding, mostly, on islands around the world and covering almost two hundred years. The Bone People by Keri Hulme Published in 1984 after taking over a decade to write, this Booker Prize-winning novel feels timeless. On Aotearoa’s South Island coast, Kerewin Holmes, an asexual painter sans family contact and distanced from her art, lives in a tower beside the sea, where she discover...