History is filled with women whose stories have been overlooked, forgotten or left untold. In fiction, authors often reclaim those voices by blending the ordinary with the extraordinary, weaving together magic, folklore, spirituality and mystery to illuminate lives. The six novels below each focus on remarkable women whose gifts allow them to navigate worlds marked by upheaval and change. Together, these stories invite readers to step beyond the boundaries of reality and discover the transformative power of women who refuse to be forgotten.
The World That We Knew by Alice Hoffman
Peek below the surface of history and in every corner, you will find hidden stories of women with extraordinary gifts. Books that bring these women into the light haunt and delight readers, and one master of this craft is Alice Hoffman. In The World That We Knew, she weaves a story set against the backdrop of World War II. Ettie, the daughter of a Jewish rabbi, creates a mystical golem named Ava to protect Lea, a 12-year-old girl being sent away by her mother to protect her from the Nazis. The stories of Lea, Ava and Ettie intertwine as they move through a dangerous world, protected by the power of love and a bit of magic.
The Cemetery of Untold Stories by Julia Alvarez
Julia Alvarez’s 2024 novel literally brings hidden stories to life as Alma Cruz, an aging author, returns to her homeland in the Dominican Republic to find peace and a sense of completion as she ends her literary career. She builds a graveyard where she buries her unfinished manuscripts, hoping to put them to rest, but the characters and stories come to life in unexpected ways. Filomena, a local woman who cares for the grounds, listens to them, joining Alma and the unforgettable characters in an interwoven tale of love, loss and the redemptive power of telling the stories that must be told.
The Vanishing of Josephine Reynolds by Jennifer Moorman
A young widow carelessly wishes to disappear and finds herself transported back to 1927 where she meets her great-grandmother and learns pieces of her family’s history that break open her world. The instrument for this time travel is a door in the house where her great-grandmother lived, and Josephine quickly realizes that she must make choices in her own life in order to save her great-grandmother – and herself – from being erased from history. The book brings love stories, wonderful details of the 1920s and haunting characters together in a tale that lingers long after the last page.
The Edge of Water by Olufunke Grace Bankole
The prophecy received by a Yoruban woman about her daughter, Amina, sets the frame for this debut novel. Amina moves from Nigeria to New Orleans even though her mother was shown that her daughter would experience tragedy and hardship in this new land. The story unfolds across time and space, with layers from the past influencing the present. As a single mother, Amina struggles in this city rich with culture and history, finding herself among those stranded after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. The prophecy received by Esther, Amina’s experiences and Yoruban cosmology give this story a rich and complex backdrop of mystery as it explores issues of immigration, family, power and identity.
Conjure Women by Afia Atakora
Set before and after the U.S. Civil War, this novel centers around the lives of a mother, Miss May Belle, and her daughter, Rue. Miss May Belle passes on the gifts of healing and “conjuring” to Rue, and the story reveals both the deep impacts of slavery and the power of generational gifts passed between women in a family. Rue learns to navigate her changing relationship with Varina, the daughter of the plantation owner, after the war ends, as issues of power, differing spiritual and cultural beliefs and resiliency surface. This is a moving and magical story that chronicles this chapter in American history through the lives and voices of strong and gifted women.
Claire of the Sea Light by Edwidge Danticat
Many lives are impacted on the day that Claire, a young girl in the fictional Haitian town of Ville Rose, disappears. Her father’s plans to send her away at age seven to give her a better life set this day in motion, and many people in the seaside community join in the search to find her. The spirit world is always close by, along with the natural world around them. Claire’s eyes are the color of the sea, and nature serves as an important backdrop for what unfolds, sometimes acting as a character itself that moves the story forward. The tale moves like the changing tide of the ocean, drawing the reader in with each new revelation, ultimately revealing the power of deep relationships and of love itself.
