Five Stars
Spoiler alert
This historical novel follows the Booth family, one of whom, John Wilkes Booth, assassinated Abraham Lincoln. But it’s not primarily about John Wilkes, for the family has several far more interesting characters, any one of whom could justify a novel to themselves. It opens in 1822 with Junius Booth, later to become a world-renowned Shakespearian actor, moving his family (his alcoholic father, his wife and children) to a remote Maryland farm. The children include Junius junior (known as June), Edwin, Rosalie, Asia, John, Joe and a number who died in childhood.
The story is told from the perspective of mostly the female members of the family. First, Rosalie, who is the quiet, plain daughter with a slight deformity. Rosalie sees all the dynamics of the family but is largely ignored and undervalued by the more colourful characters. Later, the perspective switches to Asia, the ebullient, sociable, beautiful daughter. The family goes through cycles of fortune and misfortune, often in synch with the drinking and success or failure of the manic father, Junius. Through theatrical seasons of boom and bust, and weather seasons of snow and heat, through farming seasons of scrabble and dirt, the family fortunes ebb and flow. Intermittently, we hear about Lincoln’s parallel life, his rise to the Presidency, his handling of the Civil War.
Fowler has done extensive research on the Booth family. Most of the events recounted are based on letters, contemporaneous documents and a huge amount of research into John Wilkes Booth by Terry Alford. The character of Rosalie, who narrates the opening and later parts of the novel is, Fowler says, the one least based on historical information, because little is known about her. Fowler wanted the book not to be about John Wilkes, though inevitably, the crashing conclusion is dominated by his descent into obsession and murder. Even without this, the material is rich and engaging. The dominant character is not John Wilkes but Junius Booth, a towering, probably mad figure whose stature none of the sons could ever match.
Fowler draws parallels with current day America, mass shootings, the rise of Trump, the ease with which extremism can exert itself, the dangers of mob rule. It is interesting to be reminded that in those days the Republican party wanted to abolish slavery and the Democrats wanted to spread slavery and secede from the Union. Some fascinating facts emerge – for instance that Edwin Booth once saved one of Lincoln’s sons who had fallen between train carriages.
It’s a long read, and it took me a while to ‘build up speed’ in terms of wanting to read for any length. But persistence pays off. This is a memorable novel, painting a rich picture of America at war with itself, and of the deep roots of racism.
Karen Joy Fowler also wrote We are all Completely Beside Ourselves, which I didn’t like at all and gave up on half-way through. If I’d remembered this, I probably wouldn’t have bothered with Booth, but it goes to show, good authors can write diverse novels and appeal to different audiences across their careers. Booth was longlisted for the 2022 Booker Prize.
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