Other Than That, Mrs. Lincoln...
Historical fiction is one of my favorite
literary genres, when it’s done well. The spinning nature of time is never
better appreciated than when one sees a page from our past come into focus as
if for the first time.
A thoughtful fictional treatment can lend a fresh and
divergent perspective on what has become well-trod ground.
But when historical fiction is done badly, it makes for a rough trudge. Take this story set in the United States after the Civil War, centering on the mystery surrounding the country’s first presidential assassination. As fiction, as history, as action-adventure, the novel fails so badly as to defy reason.
