Reddit mentions of The Clan of the Cave Bear (with Bonus Content): Earth's Children, Book One

Some may downplay the value of Jean M Auel's books as being too fictionalized but they're quite enjoyable as light-hearted companions to scientific non fiction works. Give Clan of the Cave Bear a try. You may be pleasantly surprised. There are several sequels in Auel's "Earth's Children" series should you become intrigued by the tale.

I've got a few suggestions actually! Some are exactly like you describe, non-fiction but presented as a novel. Others incorporate accurate history, but the main characters are fictional.

First,Follow the River. This one is a true story presented as a novel. Great read, it's one of the first books that inspired my interest in what's actually edible in the wild.

Centennial is another great read. Pretty much any Michner is. You do have to get past the first few chapters though. He likes to start his books with a history of the area, which he goes all the way back to the crust of the earth cooling. Once you get past that though, he takes you through the history through the eyes of multiple people through generations. The people are fictional, but the history he covers is the real deal. For instance, did you know that camelids originated in what we call Alaska now?

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon. I think they've made a T.V. show from this one. It has science fiction/fantasy tones to it as it involves time travel, but the coverage of the history is accurate and fascinating. And told from the perspective of someone who was born and raised in WWII era.

And finally, let's go WAY back. Clan of the Cave Bear. The first three books in this series are fantastic. I wouldn't bother going further though. The author traveled to all sorts of digs and painted caves and the picture she brings to life of pre-history is wonderful. Bit of a Mary Sue as a main character, but I happen to like Mary Sues. =) AVOID THE MOVIE! I like a lot of book to movies, understand that they need leeway. They ruined this book on screen.

I can probably come up with a few more if you're interested at all. Reading is a bit of my hobby.

The Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean M. Auel is my favorite book. I've read it something like 20 or 30 times. The sequels are, sadly, nowhere near as good but I never get tired of the first book and every time I've read it I've seen more in it. The first time I read it, it was purely a low fantasy novel for me, where I was impressed how alien the culture was. These days, I can't miss that the culture of The Clan is ours with a thin veneer over it, and I love how much it comments on us and how we think.

Another book that I've returned to several times, over a looonnng period of time is The Trial of Anna Cotman by Vivien Alcock it's a very different read now that I'm an adult. As a kid it spooked the hell out of me - even though it wasn't a horror book. These days, again, I love the social commentary in it and how true it rings, even though it is such a simple story. I feel like it tells a deep truth about how even innocent things can just go horrifically bad.