“My Dear Hamilton” - Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie

❤️‍🩹 This was an incredibly well researched and well executed historical fiction filling the massive gap of knowledge we have about Eliza Hamilton (née Schulyer). She was surrounded by luminaries of the Revolutionary War, all of whom left behind a trove of letters and diaries by which we can better know their stories. The authors note that the preeminent Hamilton biography written by Ron Chernow scarcely mentions Eliza - I can attest to this having read it twice. Dray and Kamoie suggest that this glaring omission is rooted in the utter lack of primary sources with respect to Eliza.

❤️‍🩹 One chapter in and I was already impressed with the level of detail provided by Dray and Kamoie. They use excerpts of journals and letters written contemporaneously by our main players to preface each chapter. We know the record is rich with such correspondence. Dray and Kamoie use it to full advantage.

❤️‍🩹 This novel is intended to speak for Eliza; while Hamilton forms a major aspect of her story, Dray and Kamoie keep the focus on Eliza, always. I particularly enjoyed reading about the pre-Ham Eliza - as she meets Monroe, Lafayette, Washington, Benedict Arnold, and the “war of words” she enters post Hamilton’s death. Her friendships with Theodosia Burr and Dolley Madison, also gave us a peek into female friendships that otherwise are omitted from historical narratives. I love how the authors imagine meetings that the historical records tell us very likely took place. A moment that struck me was when Eliza found herself in the same room as Monroe, Lafayette, and Arnold and she notes that one would become her bitter enemy, one would be loved dearly, and one would betray them all.

❤️‍🩹 The authors give voice to the gritty battles to actually forge a nation in the decades after independence; they portray how tenuous the union was. They also do an excellent job of unraveling the ambition, insecurity, and self-destructiveness of A.Ham from early in his meeting Eliza, as these same traits would haunt them tragically in their years together. They bring their version of Eliza full circle: she finally discovers the unknowability of the husband she cherished. The give us a plausible explanation for what motivated Eliza to press on despite betrayals, to do good rather than frittering away in sorrow.

❤️‍🩹 On the 50th anniversary of the Revolution, the return of the aged Marquis was particularly poignant as we are alongside Eliza, coming to grips with the inexorable passage of time. The dedication of the Washington monument held a similarly bittersweet feeling.

❤️‍🩹 If you have an interest in learning what the female POV might have looked like opposite the bright flash of A.Ham, I’d highly recommend reading this novel!