Seven top historical novels set on islands

Connie Pan is a writer from Maui, Hawai‘i. She holds an MFA in fiction from West Virginia University and a BA in creative writing from Grand Valley State University. Her words have appeared in Bamboo Ridge, The Billfold, Carve, HelloGiggles, and Salamander, among other places. An excerpt from her novel-in-progress was nominated for a Pushcart Prize.

At Book Riot Pan tagged "seven historical novels unfolding, mostly, on islands around the world and covering almost two hundred years." One novel on the list:

Green Island by Shawna Yang Ryan

During the February 28 uprising of 1947, Li Min’s contractions intensify, and she births the novel’s narrator on the night martial law begins in Taiwan. For making an impassioned speech in public, her father, Dr. Tsai, is imprisoned for 11 years. He spends some of that time on a “tiny place just off the eastern coast of Taiwan” called Green Island—“[a] beautiful name for the home of the Oasis Villa, the political prison.” Later, living the “American Dream” in Berkeley, the protagonist’s mind dwells on Taiwan, and she returns again and again. Reflecting on deceit, estrangement, and love, Ryan’s captivating sophomore title won the American Book Award in 2017.

Read about another entry on the list.

The Page 69 Test: Green Island.

My Book, The Movie: Green Island.

--Marshal Zeringue