Booth by Karen Joy Fowler

April 7, 2022

Booth by Karen Joy Fowler

In 1822, the Booth family (yes, the parents and siblings of John Wilkes Booth) moved to a farm in a remote area of Maryland. There would eventually be ten children. Father Junius was a renowned Shakespearean actor who traveled frequently for his work, and has both a remarkable talent and terrifying instability. As the country draws closer to war, the Booth family side with the Union, which makes Wilkes' radical politics all the more disturbing (he was called Wilkes by his family and friends). When Wilkes executes his deadly conspiracy to assassinate Abraham Lincoln, his mother and siblings are left to deal with the aftermath.

The Booth acting dynasty was forever tarnished by John Wilkes Booth's actions, completely overshadowing their contributions to American theater. The storyline is about the Booth family and told by them, rather than about Wilkes himself, and narrative is ultimately about family, even with that family is left to pick up the pieces after a national tragedy.

Junius Booth and his son Edwin