Political upheaval redraws maps and topples governments, but the deepest wounds are carried by the people forced to live through it. In the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos ruled as a dictator for more than a decade, a reign marked by torture, disappearances, and the deaths of thousands. It ended only when the People Power Revolution filled the streets with peaceful protestors and toppled his regime. Not every revolution is so gentle.
House of Monstrous Women takes place during the last days of the People Power Revolution, its desperation and hope mirrored in the deadly game its characters must survive. The eight novels below of political upheaval capture the terror and resilience of those caught in history’s undertow, where survival is an act of defiance.
The Mountains Sing by Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai
The Mountains Sing traces the lives of a grandmother and granddaughter as they endure nearly a century of political upheaval in Vietnam. From land reforms, political purges, and famine to the devastation of the Vietnam–American War, their story lays bare the trauma of a nation in turmoil. Yet within the wreckage, resilience survives in the form of generational memory and storytelling, an inheritance that becomes an act of defiance.
The Parisian by Isabella Hammad
Set during the British Mandate, The Parisian follows Midhat Kamal, a young Palestinian man who falls in love with France and adopts a European persona. But when he returns home, he finds a land that is nearly unrecognizable. Society is fractured by British colonial rule and the rising pressures of Zionism. His cultivated identity, once a shield, now isolates him from his people and himself. Hammad’s debut captures the dislocation of a life and a nation unmoored by upheaval.
Brotherless Night by V. V. Ganeshananthan
In 1980s Sri Lanka, as civil war erupts, Sashi dreams of becoming a doctor. But in Jaffna, violence is inescapable, and her four brothers are each pulled into the conflict in different ways. Torn between family loyalty, survival, and her own ambitions, Sashi endures is forced to bear witness to the brutality carried out by both the government and the Tamil Tigers. Brotherless Night is a beautifully rendered portrait of a family shattered by war, and of a young woman who endures with courage when everything she loves is at risk.
The Book of Everlasting Things by Aanchal Malhotra
A story of love, culture, and displacement, The Book of Everlasting Things follows Hindu perfumer Samir Vij and Muslim calligrapher Firdaus. Their devotion for each other, and their ancient crafts, runs deep. But when Indian Independence brings about the Partition, the two are severed and brought further apart by refugee trains and forced exile. But what endures is their delicate art—the fleeting scent of perfume, the permanence of ink on parchment.
Anil’s Ghost by Michael Ondaatje
In war-torn Sri Lanka, forensic anthropologist Anil Tissera returns home to investigate a series of political killings. When she uncovers the body of a recently executed man, she realizes she’s found evidence that could expose state violence. She chases the dead man’s story, navigating state surveillance, intimidation, and silence bought with fear. Anil’s Ghost is a haunting meditation on the perils of seeking truth when it can cost you your life, and the fragile courage it takes to name the dead.
The Map of Salt and Stars by Zeyn Joukhadar
As the Syrian Civil War takes her home, twelve-year-old Nour flees with her mother and sisters across the Middle East, chasing safety across ever-shifting borders. Her journey is mirrored by the medieval tale of Rawiya, who once mapped the world alongside a famous cartographer. Leaning on this legend, Nour learns that even in exile, stories can chart a way forward and become the map that helps her endure.
Pachinko by Min Jin Lee
Beginning in a poor Korean fishing village during Japanese occupation, Pachinko follows four generations of one family as they migrate to Japan and struggle to build a life in a country that will never fully accept them. Against the backdrop of war, poverty, and relentless discrimination, they endure through sacrifice and resilience. Min Jin Lee’s epic is a powerful family saga of identity, belonging, and survival.
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