IN THE BELLY OF THE ANACONDA

The Anaconda Plan, devised by Union Gen. Winfield Scott, proposed suffocating the Southern ports along the Mississippi with naval blockades. In the center of the Anaconda lay the port of New Orleans, the setting for Ellis’ novel. It’s here, in April of 1862, that we meet Rachel Durand, a young Jewish widow who has lost her husband, Levi, in the Battle of Shiloh. Rachel lives with her younger, pregnant sister Sarah, whose husband, Jacob Mercier, is still away at war. Within a few days, the Union overtakes the Confederate barriers and begins its occupation of New Orleans. Gen. Benjamin “Spoons” Butler—locally referred to as the Beast—is put in charge of the city. When he has the Stars and Stripes hung at City Hall, it provokes a small citizen revolt with dire consequences. Rebellions continue, only more secretly. Months later, with the city suffering from devastating shortages, Jacob returns home severely injured. It’s now up to Rachel to provide for her small family. This is how she finds herself joining a group of New Orleanians who, disguised as peddlers, facilitate trade between the Union and the Confederacy. Ellis’ sprawling drama is a tale of political maneuvers, schemes, backroom deals, and secret alliances. But, most of all, it’s a novel driven by a hefty cast of complex, pivotal characters navigating extraordinary times. The novel ambles slowly but deliberately, bringing readers directly into the harsh details of daily life. Short vignettes set in the White House portray intimate glimpses of President Lincoln, mourning the loss of his son while negotiating the right time to declare the Emancipation Proclamation. Through primary protagonist Rachel, initially a staunch Confederate supporter, we’re introduced to the Jewish community of New Orleans, and the subtle antisemitism to which they are subjected, a topic rarely covered in Civil War novels. Ellis includes a plethora of elaborate AI-generated illustrations, although the captions appear inconveniently in an appendix.