Historical fiction is the theme of this year's book club, and for November, the book is Susan Meissner's As Bright as Heaven. I have some scattered, messy thoughts about historical fiction. The author chooses a time in history, the people, both fictional and historical, and the plot, often influenced by the events or famous people of that time, and crafts a novel. What is the goal: historical accuracy, compelling characters, or a bestseller? Susan Meissner's story revolves around the 1918 Spanish Flu epidemic. Mother, father, and three daughters have recently moved from their rural tobacco farm to a funeral home in Philadelphia. The narration shifts among the women of the family but centers on the thirteen-year-old middle daughter, Maggie. As the tide of flu victims rises and World War I continues, the various family members are changed by the deaths that surround them. The plot is character-driven. It gives readers a lens into the devastation of the 1918 epidemic.
Here is a link to an interesting article about historical fiction: https://thehistoryquill.com/the-top-five-challenges-of-writing-historical-fiction-and-how-to-overcome-them/
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