THE WILDES
A Novel in Five Acts
by Louis Bayard
Algonquin Books. 304 pages, $29.
THE CHALLENGE of writing historical fiction—creating an interesting story with lifelike characters within the constraints of historical facticity—becomes even more difficult when the historical figures and events are widely known or readily googled for a quick refresher. The more famous the people and events depicted, the higher the expectation of accuracy, or at least verisimilitude, with respect to the characters’ actions, manners of speech and dress, modes of transportation and communication, and so on.
Louis Bayard has proven himself equal to this challenge in such novels as The Pale Blue Eye (a retired New York policeman’s investigation of a murder at West Point in the 1830s), Courting Mr. Lincoln (Mary Todd’s pursuit of Abe), and Jackie & Me (Ms. Bouvier before JFK). His latest novel, The Wildes: A Novel in Five Acts, focuses on Oscar Wilde’s long-suffering wife Constance and their two young boys, Cyril and Vyvyan, as they cope with Oscar’s philandering and the aftermath of his trials and exile.
Hank Trout, a frequent contributor to these pages, is the former editor of A&U: America’s AIDS Magazine.
