In magical realism, otherworldly elements often highlight political tensions, injustice, and oppression. Protagonists (and authors, for that matter) lean on magic as a coping mechanism to escape or re-contextualize the brutalities and all-too-familiar discrimination of the past, doing away with romanticized notions of bygone eras. When authors dive into magical historical fiction, the real or imagined backstories and motivations of characters suddenly become bigger and more limitless than accepted history lets us believe. The six novels below exemplify the strange beauty of magical historical fiction.
In The Mermaid and Mrs. Hancock, Gowar brings the reader to 1790s London to meet a rich merchant who has his life changed by the sound of knocking at his door. One of his captains alerts him to the strange news that his trading vessel has captured a mermaid. With a human-like torso, fishtail, and claws, the odd-looking, deceased doll-sized creature soon draws in all of London for a peek. From there, Mr. Hancock trades in his merchant life for a whirlwind tour as the handler of the specimen that brings him to the highest echelons of high-society London. It's Hancock's relationships with his sister, niece, and a beautiful courtesan named Angelica Neal that reveal the underpinnings of Georgian-era English culture and society in this fantastical, slightly grotesque, exquisitely written novel.
An exploration of America's immigrant culture at its core, Wecker's debut novel about lost magical creatures in 19th-century New York City blends historic fiction with sprinklings of fantasy and romance. Brought to life by a disgraced rabbi, Chava is a clay golem who washes ashore in New York City in 1899. She soon meets a born-of-fire Syrian jinni named Ahmad who was recently released from a flask in New York City after centuries.
The buzz of turn-of-the-century New York is joined with classic themes from Middle Eastern and Yiddish literature in this work that is both ancient fable and historical commentary. Instantly recognizing the "inhuman" qualities they share, Chava and Ahmad become unlikely close friends. While Chava lives in fear of exposing her non-human truth, Ahmad unapologetically pursues pleasures. Themes of assimilation, otherness, and loneliness are highlighted with magical qualities and folklore.
Similar to Gowar's The Mermaid and Mrs. Hancock, The Essex Serpent keeps one foot in history and one foot in myth. Set in Victorian England at the sunset of the 19th century, the novel focuses on a woman named Cora Seaborne who has recently moved from London to the small village of Essex after becoming widowed—an event that set her free from her wealthy, abusive husband.
Upon arrival, Seaborne becomes fascinated by the idea that the village is haunted by an ancient mythological sea serpent that has been awakened by a recent earthquake. With the fear that the Blackwater Beast is waiting to attack, the village becomes entangled in anxiety and hysteria that play out themes of science versus belief, freedom versus social obligation, and the entanglement of love and friendship.
Set in Poland against the backdrop of World War II, The Dollmaker of Krakow is a YA work of magical historical fiction that emphasizes the will to live and power of love in the darkest times using the juxtaposition of real-world horrors and a whimsical doll world. Karolina is a doll who comes to life as the Nazis are rising to power. In the magical world she came from, dolls are also facing destruction from an army of terrifying rats. Cyryl the dollmaker and his creation Karolina must help their Jewish friends find refuge from the Nazis seeking to destroy them.
Beneath the beauty, mystery, and magic of The Miniaturist lies the exploration of autonomy, gender, identity, and attraction in a patriarchal society. Set in 17th-century Amsterdam, the novel focuses on a bride named Neall who is gifted a cabinet-sized replica of her marital home by her husband. The gift brings the need for Nella to interact with a mysterious miniaturist who creates tiny furnishings. The only question is whether his creations are mirroring or shaping life in the house.
Set in England's World War II era, The Book of Lost Things uses dark fairy tales and historical events as vehicles for contemplating grief, loss of innocence, and coming of age. More allegorical and fractured than usual for traditional magical historical fiction, The Book of Lost Things has a poetic, simplistic tone that emphasizes the use of folklore as a coping mechanism.
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