Fates and Traitors

The latest offering by Jennifer Chiaverini, this novel’s subtitle reads “A Novel of John Wilkes Booth, which places it squarely in the category of historical fiction . It begins with the final scene as Booth faces certain capture, then jumps back to the beginning of his life. He was born into a family of male actors – his father, Junius Brutus Booth was famous, and both his brothers, Junius Jr. and Edwin, were actors as well. So it seemed a certainty that John would follow in their paths, which he did. But John was a staunch supporter of the South, and his politics collided with Northern values, as his hatred of Abraham Lincoln forces him down a path of no return. Chiaverini fills in Booth’s life with colorful details, as he progresses from a Southern gentleman to a bitter assassin. A good read for fans of historical fiction.