Christine Estima recommends 3 'fascinating' books set in the pivotal moments of the 20th century
The Montreal-born author reviews three inspiring historical fiction titles
Christine Estima's debut short story collection, The Syrian Ladies Benevolent Society, centres around an intense period of change both political and personal for an Arab family fleeing the Middle East for Montreal. From her writing, Estima has become fascinated with stories of the 20th century, this era which holds both the aesthetics of the past and a "lurch towards modernity."
Estima is a Toronto-based writer and journalist who plans on setting her next book within the two world wars of the 20th century.
"I just love this idea that we never know that we are in the middle of history when we're sitting here and I think that that is what permeates a lot of books that are set in the early part of the 20th century," said Estima when asked about her love of historical fiction. "That nostalgic sensation that we are looking at a moment in time where everything was changing, but the people in those moments didn't realize it. So as the reader you can see the things that the characters can't see."
Estima caught up with The Next Chapter's Ali Hassan and shared three of her favourite books set during this period of history.
The Tobacconist by Robert Seethaler, translated by Charlotte Collins
The Tobacconist follows the unlikely friendship between Franz Huchel, a teenage apprentice at a tobacco shop and Sigmund Freud in Vienna during the early days of Nazi occupation. While Freud struggles through his own personal hardships, Franz seeks his advice as he's falling for a Czech dancer and the three are faced with impossible choices set against political turmoil.
Robert Seethaler is an Austrian-born writer and actor. His other novels include The Field and A Whole Life was a finalist for the 2016 Man Booker International Prize.
Christine Estima says: "This is an incredible tome – it's not even that big, but it really packs a wallop…So amongst this kind of small story of this young boy, this country bumpkin, in the big city, you also have a larger scene of a city that is about to be thrust into the epicentre of history. Vienna is just a really interesting city if you're interested in the microcosm of the 20th century bursting forward in the early part."
A History of Burning by Janika Oza
A History of Burning is an epic novel about how one act of rebellion can influence a family for generations. It's 1898 and a 13-year-old boy in India named Pirbhai needs to make money to support his family, and ends up inadvertently being sent across the ocean to be a labourer for the British. He has a choice to make, and what he does will change the course of his life, and his family's fate, for years to come. The story takes readers to Uganda, India, England and Canada in the wake of Pirbhai's choice as the novel explores the impacts of colonialism, resistance, exile and the power of family.
Janika Oza is a writer, educator and graduate student based in Toronto. She won the 2019 Malahat Review Open Season Award in fiction for her short story Exile, the 2020 Kenyon Review Short Fiction Award and the 2022 O. Henry Award.
Oza made the 2019 CBC Short Story Prize longlist for her story The Gift of Choice, which is a chapter in A History of Burning. Her writing is published in a number of journals, including The Columbia Review, Into The Void, Hobart, and Looseleaf Magazine.
Christine Estima says: "The title is quite apt there because what we see is throughout the tracking of this family through time, it's not just about physical acts of burning like the burning of a village, it's also about the fire that burns within us and that fire can be transmitted through our families down the line."
A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles
Set in 1922, A Gentleman in Moscow is a humorous novel which takes place during the most tumultuous time for ousted aristocrat Count Alexander Rostov. While Rostov is confined to the Metropol, a grand hotel in Moscow, the world outside his doors spins as uprisings, wars and the fall of the Soviet Union pass him by. Sentenced to live in luxury without intervening, Rostov searches for purpose in the characters around him.
Amor Towles is a historical fiction writer currently based in New York City. He is also the author of The Lincoln Highway and Rules of Civility.
Christine Estima says: "What you get is a book that isn't very heavy on plot because the book is basically about the people that [Count Rostov] encounters, the other guests, the underworking machinations of how a hotel operates and there's these American actresses that are coming to stay and there's a lively bar crowd. So it's more a look at the manners and society of the time, which is a really interesting way of revealing the entire life of a man."
Comments have been edited for length and clarity.
