All Other Nights
66. Dara Horn, All Other Nights
When Jewish New Yorker Jacob Rappaport joins the Union Army in 1861, his only goal is to escape the distasteful marriage his parents have arranged for him. But when his commanders discover that his uncle is a prominent Confederate supporter involved in a plot against Lincoln, they issue an unthinkable order: Jacob must infiltrate his uncle’s house and assassinate him for the sake of the Union. When Jacob dumbfoundedly agrees, his life changes forever. His next assignment as a spy is even more difficult: he must court a beautiful young Confederate woman suspected of being a spy, and marry her to gather information for the Union. Torn between loyalties, Jacob must come to terms with his own identity and figure out how to survive in a world that is crumbling before his eyes.
This novel is unique because it focuses on the Jewish experience of the Civil War rather than on the issue of slavery - although, of course, Horn does address the latter issue as well, and she draws several parallels between Jewish Americans and African-Americans of the time period. The book thus opened up a new dimension of history to me, and I was fascinated by some of the things I learned, like the fact that the Confederate Secretary of State was Jewish! The plot of the novel is exciting and full of dramatic events, which makes it an entertaining read. However, I do think that some of the situations strained credibility, and the same is true of the characters. The Levy girls, especially, didn’t ring true for me; their behavior was just too outlandish, like Horn was trying too hard to make them unique. As a novel about individual people, it’s just okay; but as a novel about the Civil War, I think it succeeds.