This 1982 work from Thomas Keneally (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Keneally) is not so much historical fiction as fiction written in the service of history.
Keneally takes great trouble to stick to the documented facts about The Holocaust. The result is a powerful evocation of the full horror of what happened within living memory, namely the greatest crime in human history. Even the heroic efforts of Oskar Schindler in saving Jews from the gas chambers are not sentimentalised, but presented flatly with a small hope of approval.
There is a whole industry of historical works about the Holocaust and its significance. This might just be the best fictional treatment for those who wish to approach the subject. Winner of the 1982 Booker Prize.
To continue an interest in The Holocaust reach for Raul Hilberg’s ‘The Destruction of The European Jews‘ (The Destruction of the European Jews, 3 Volume Set (Third Edition) by Raul Hilberg (2003-03-15): Amazon.co.uk: Raul Hilberg: Books) and Elie Wiesel’s ‘Nacht’ (Night by Wiesel, Elie (amazon.co.uk))
Made into a stunning film entitled ‘Schindler’s List’ (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0108052/?ref_=sr_1) in 1993 by Steven Spielberg. With Liam Neeson, Ben Kingsley and Ralph Fiennes.
432 pages in Sceptre paperback edition.
ISBN 978-0340936290
Thomas Keneally