Jackie by Dawn Tripp
Published by Random House
Publication date: June 18, 2024
Genres: Book Clubs, Fiction, Historical
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Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis was one of the most talked about women of the 20th century. An ocean of words exists, including her own, allowing analysis and dissection of every aspect of her life to feed the insatiable appetite of those fascinated by this enigmatic woman. What could another book possibly offer? In the case of Dawn Tripp’s new novel Jackie the freedom of fiction combined with writing deeply attuned to the times in which she lived produces a multi-faceted portrait well worth reading about a private woman forced to live her life in public.
Nonfiction has covered the bases on the broad facts of her life, but Jackie presents the intimate details, the inner thoughts of the woman in a way only fiction can. If not done respectfully, the more salacious aspects of her life could take center stage, but Tripp goes to great lengths to avoid this. Instead, this is a novel of quiet emotion. The exquisite artistry with which Tripp uses her words means that sentences evoked feelings and memories at unexpected points. Her writing infuses Jackie with the atmosphere of another time and within that time a woman both unusual and familiar. I was enthralled by Jackie’s love of books and their enduring presence throughout her life and how she shared that love with JFK. All books, all learning, all history, and poetry. It’s bittersweet in that it feels like a forgotten era. When a politician read to learn about the world, cared about words and how they were used, reveled in using his intellect. That mindset has all but disappeared today.
Jackie falters in only one regard. Tripp chooses to intersperse the novel with first person chapters from JFK’s perspective. These felt apologist even if that wasn’t her intention. This was Jackie’s story so to read Jack’s rationalizations and calculations was aggravating not enlightening. A selfish man who traded on his charisma and power to exercise his libido as frequently and openly as possible is not remotely interesting. Setting aside JFK’s personal failings as a husband there is a decorum, civility, and elegance that emanates from the pages, making me want to sink into them.
Like any novel written about a real historical figure this is Tripp’s representation via her imagination. It’s left to the reader to decide if this is a believable version of the woman. For me, the answer is yes. Jackie is a glimpse behind a life that on the surface appeared easy and glamorous to outsiders, right up until her husband’s assassination, yet it wasn’t. She was the architect of a life, but only within the framework she’d grown up in. In many ways it left her diminished, but in Jackie she owns her space on the page with a complexity and steeliness that is admirable in a woman who endured so much pain in her personal life.
Want more fiction about women, politics, and the White House? Try Rodham, another favorite of mine.
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*I received a free copy of this book from Random House in exchange for an honest review.*
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