Breakaway Books

Authored by Chris Bohjalian; Published March 2025; Historical Fiction

⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 🏖️🏖️

The Jackal’s Mistress is not a romance dressed up in historical fiction clothing. It is a civil war novel, with all the trappings.

In The Jackal’s Mistress, Union captain Jonathan is left for dead in Virginia during the Civil War after his leg is amputated. He is quickly discovered by Sally, a formerly enslaved woman working for Libby, whose husband has been fighting for the Confederates for years. Libby decides to nurse Jonathan back to health with the hope that if a northerner found her husband in the same state, they would do the same. But neighborhood suspicions are aroused by Libby’s behavior, and she struggles to hide the Union captain sheltering in her home.

Perhaps the most heartening aspect of the entire novel is Libby’s somewhat surprising decision to save Jonathan’s life. It has the air of the biblical Good Samaritan—the extraordinary lengths that she goes to in order to provide for him, in expense and effort, can only be considered a rare example of altruism. She is constantly providing only one explanation: I would want anyone to do the same for my husband. Surrounded by the callousness of both the Union and Confederate soldiers, her actions shine incredibly brightly, as she goes above and beyond what most normal “good” people would have done.

But mostly, this novel is a vehicle to learn about the Civil War, and the treatment of enslaved and formerly enslaved people. And it is an excellent vehicle—I knew next to nothing about the rebellious bands that roamed around the South, more mercenary than organized army, and had only the vaguest picture of the gruesome medical treatments used at the time. Interacting with Sally and Joseph, the formerly enslaved folks who work for Libby, is a constant point of friction for Jonathan, with Sally gently providing correction of his stereotypical views of their lives. She and Joseph stand out as extraordinarily patient and keenly aware of their necessity for self-preservation. Jubilee, Libby’s niece, makes for a feisty sparring partner for Jonathan as he recovers, revealing much about the points of contention the north and the south. 

I wouldn’t recommend The Jackal’s Mistress for the romance lovers, who could easily be fooled by the title. But for the civil war buffs? It’s a nice escape!