Booth by Karen Joy Fowler offers a deeply immersive exploration of the Booth family, whose legacy is forever tied to the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln by John Wilkes Booth. The novel begins with Junius Brutus Booth, a celebrated English actor who immigrates to America with his wife, Mary Ann Holmes, fleeing scandal and seeking a new life. Despite his towering success on stage, Junius is a volatile figure, prone to bouts of madness and alcoholism. His unpredictable nature casts a long shadow over his family, who live in rural Maryland, isolated from society and tethered to his whims.
Junius and Mary Ann have ten children, six of whom survive into adulthood. The Booth siblings—June, Rosalie, Edwin, Asia, John Wilkes, and Joe—grow up in an environment shaped by their father’s theatrical brilliance and erratic behavior. Edwin emerges as a gifted actor, following in his father’s footsteps and gaining national acclaim. Rosalie, the eldest daughter, remains at home, burdened with caring for the family and managing its affairs. Asia, the family chronicler, is a keen observer, documenting the Booths’ lives with an eye for both humor and pathos. Joe struggles to find his place in the world, while John Wilkes, the youngest and most impulsive of the brothers, grows increasingly radicalized.
The novel intricately weaves the Booth family’s personal dramas with the historical and political upheavals of the time, including the abolitionist movement and the Civil War. While the Booths enjoy a life of relative privilege, they are haunted by the moral contradictions of living in a slaveholding society. John Wilkes becomes an ardent supporter of the Confederacy, his views hardening into a dangerous zeal that ultimately drives him to assassinate Abraham Lincoln.
Fowler delves into the siblings’ relationships, highlighting their love, rivalries, and the ways in which their lives are shaped by their father’s legacy and John Wilkes’s eventual infamy. Edwin, who strives to redeem the family name through his acting, is devastated by his brother’s betrayal. Asia, caught between loyalty to her brother and horror at his actions, reflects the emotional toll of John Wilkes’s crime on the family.
Through richly detailed prose, Booth examines the interplay between personal ambition and historical forces, offering a poignant meditation on fame, morality, and the enduring impact of one family’s choices. Fowler’s portrayal of the Booths humanizes them while illuminating the broader cultural and political tensions of 19th-century America.
