During the earlier years of this blog, in a nod to Halloween celebrations, my October posts sometimes covered books that “haunted” me—that stayed with me long after I finished them.
This year, I’ve read several excellent historical novels that qualify as “haunting” books, and I decided to write about three of those today. All three are novels based on real-life events. And all three induced me to research more about the history behind the novel.
The Jackal’s Mistress, by Chris Bohjalian
I have read several of Chris Bohjalian’s novels, and I have liked all of them, though some more than others. The Jackal’s Mistress is one of his best. It is a novel based on a real-life incident of compassion between Union and Confederate sympathizers during the Civil War. In Bohjalian’s novel, Libby Steadman, the young wife of a Confederate soldier missing in action, discovers a wounded Yankee officer left for dead by the Union Army near her home. She rescues the officer, Captain Jonathan Weybridge, hoping to trade him back to the Union for information about her missing husband. But Libby and Jonathan develop a friendship, and more. They are both compelling characters, as are many of the supporting characters.
Although Bojahlian fictionalized the story quite a bit, the novel is based on the true story of how a Confederate wife saved the life of a Union officer left to die in the Shenandoah Valley. The Jackal’s Mistress raises haunting themes such as how war impacts citizens and communities, how friendship can develop across enemy lines, and whether compassion for a stranger has any role during war. After reading the novel, I was left pondering this Civil War version of the Good Samaritan story.
The Frozen River, by Ariel Lawhon
Ariel Lawhon’s novel is based on the true story of Martha Ballard, a midwife who lived in Maine in the 1780s, shortly after the Revolutionary War. It takes place in the winter, and cold seeps through every page. The plot centers on the discovery of a body found in the frozen Kennebec River. As midwife, Martha was qualified to give medical testimony regarding whether he was murdered. As midwife, she also knew many secrets of the women and men in her community, including “premature” births, an alleged rape of a young woman by prominent citizens, and a local physician’s malpractice in attending a woman’s labor. All these secrets play into who the murderer might be.
The real Martha Ballard kept a diary, and Lawhon’s novel is based in large part on Martha’s own words, though Lawhon took liberties with the timeline and facts of Martha’s life. The author’s adaptation made for a haunting tale—part murder mystery, part love story, part commentary on the place of women in the 18th century as incompetents before the law and subject to the whims of the men around them. Even months after reading it, I shiver when I think of The Frozen River—my shivers due not only to the descriptions of winter chill but also to the violent and eerie plot.
Isola, by Allegra Goodman
Allegra Goodman’s novel is also based on a real-life story, this time a story from 16th century France. Marguerite de La Rocque de Roberval was a French noblewoman and heiress whose unscrupulous guardian defrauded her and then took her on an ocean voyage to New France. There he abandoned her, her lover, and her maid on a barren island off what is now Newfoundland. The novel tells this story, then describes Marguerite’s haunting fight for survival, as she and her companions face brutal weather, wild animals, and illness with only the barest of tools at their disposal.
I don’t want to reveal any spoilers, so I won’t say what happened to Marguerite. The story of how she came to be marooned on an uninhabited island was first recorded by Queen Marguerite of Navarre in 1558, and since then has inspired several other authors. The full truth of what happened to Marguerite and why may never be known, but Goodman’s version is as harrowing an adventure story as any modern reader would want—a female Robinson Crusoe in a frozen clime. The mere idea of being cast away on a barren island haunts me, as I think it would most 21st century readers.
So as October draws to an end, take your pick of one of these three haunting books—a Civil War soldier left to die among his enemies, a midwife investigating an 18th century murder with little authority to do so, and a French noblewoman abandoned on a desolate island in the 16th century.
Each is a fictionalized account of a historical incident, proving that history can haunt us and much as ghost stories.
What books have you read that haunted you after you finished them?
P.S. I don’t write much about the books I read in my blog posts. But I frequently post about books in my monthly newsletter. I also give updates about my writing every month. If you’re interested in subscribing to my newsletter, please click here.
Three that really stuck with me over the years: A Thousand Splendid Suns, Into Thin Air, Native Son.
Darlene,
I would agree. These are also haunting books. Thanks for reading.
Theresa