Book Club Discussion Questions and Guide for The Jackal's Mistress by Chris Bohjalian

1. In the novel's opening scene, Libby and Joseph survive in part because the intruder underestimates them. In the many daring encounters they experience together, how do they turn their vulnerable identities into an advantage? How do they disguise their strength?
2. Libby excels in the men's world—from running the mill and defending her loved ones to negotiating with Union troops. As a newcomer and an interloper, what made her a good match for her husband, Peter?
3. How do Sally and Joseph endure the traumas of their past, and the constant threats they face throughout the novel? What sustains their devotion to each other?
4. How did literature prepare Weybridge for the horrors and contradictions he would witness as a soldier? How did he maintain stamina in both mind and body?
5. In chapter 14, Weybridge tries to help Jubilee understand the abolitionist cause, while in chapter 20, Joseph gives Weybridge a grim dose of reality about what life will be like after the war. What perpetuated the system that kept Joseph and Sally from being truly free?
6. Jubilee nicknames Weybridge "Jackal" because she is wary of the enemy's cunning ways. How does their relationship reflect the precarious balance of trust that teeters in other aspects of the storyline, on land, where dominance and control kept changing hands?
7. In the novel and in the true story that inspired it, what do we discover about the human capacity for kindness and healing, and the ability to rise above the destructive roar of the crowd (even when the roar is stoked by power brokers who benefit from the discord)? Ultimately, what do you think Libby's real motivation was in protecting Weybridge? Would you have been willing to take that risk? Was Dr. Norton willing to take the risk only because he was being self-serving?
8. Libby, Emily, and Jubilee all must endure months of not knowing the fates of their loved ones who are at war. In their situation, is hope a positive force or is it a liability?
9. What transformations does Libby undergo during the final showdown in chapter 23? What does the scene reveal about her essence and the essence of the community she married into?
10. Who are the Henry Morgans and John Mosbys of the modern world, waging brutality under the guise of civility?
11. As you read the epilogue, how did you react? What was erased in the aftermath of the Civil War? What persisted?
12. What surprising details did you learn about this chapter in history? What family stories of war and survival have been passed down to you? How do those lives and stories compare with the ones portrayed in the novel? In what ways can fiction sometimes reveal the truth more fully than nonfiction?
13. How does Chris Bohjalian's storytelling—in The Jackal's Mistress and in his other novels that you have read—bring to life the intersection of chance and choice in a unique way?

Unless otherwise stated, this discussion guide is reprinted with the permission of Doubleday. Any page references refer to a USA edition of the book, usually the trade paperback version, and may vary in other editions.