That Fateful Lightning: A Novel of Ulysses S. Grant

Ulysses S. Grant was a complex, enigmatic figure whose flaws and foibles provide a wealth of material for biographers and novelists alike, but Parry smoothes over the rough edges in this glowing fictional portrait by focusing exclusively on Grant's achievements during the Civil War. The construction is simple: as the novel opens, Grant is diagnosed with throat cancer, and the assiduously researched narrative follows the general's struggle to finish his memoirs before the disease takes his life. Encouraged by enthusiastic publisher Mark Twain (the eminent author's publishing venture later went bankrupt), Grant begins his text with detailed accounts of the pivotal battles at Shiloh and Vicksburg, illuminating the innovative decisions that led to victory. Parry nicely delineates the various generals Grant fought with and against, particularly William Tecumseh Sherman and Robert E. Lee, balancing these portraits with brief glimpses into the lives of ordinary soldiers and of Grant's long-suffering wife, Julia. Though he explores the political situations that made Grant's often-misunderstood decisions so agonizing, Parry examines the general's battles with the bottle only sparingly, most notably during a drinking binge when his colleagues cover for him and thus save his career. The narrative takes on some urgency in the closing chapters as Parry draws touching parallels between the final siege in the Wilderness that opened the door to Richmond, and Grant's race against time to finish the book before cancer brings his life to a close. The author's obvious affection for his subject gives this novel an overly sympathetic bias, but that affection also allows him to illuminate Grant's elusive human side. 5-city author tour. (June)