Booth

I’m still recommending Karen Joy Fowler’s 2013 novel We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves for lovers of compulsively readable literary fiction, so I can’t wait to sample her newest work, an epic exploration of John Wilkes Booth (yes, THAT Booth!) and his fascinating family. Fathered by a formerly celebrated and now reclusive Shakespearean actor, John and his siblings grow up in rural Maryland as the Civil War approaches. Later, the Booths leave farm life behind for theatrical fame—and eventually, the shameful notoriety of their brother’s actions. This new historical novel is richly detailed and darkly observant, perfect for fans of Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell.