Tomorrow, the War

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY NOV 17, 2025

The colorful debut novel from memoirist Watman (Harvest) chronicles the lead-up to the American Civil War through the eyes of a large cast of diverse characters. The action, of which there is plenty, alternates between 1846 and 1856, unfurling the disparate stories of Jed Stokes, who becomes a buffalo hunter after serving in the Mexican-American War, and a young Black man named Raleigh Bodkin, who was once enslaved alongside his sister, Temple. After Raleigh and Temple's master died, they lived as equals with their half brother, the master's son, until a neighbor, enraged by their lifestyle, burned their house to the ground and the siblings were separated in the melee. A strange affinity exists between Jed and Raleigh, and they cross paths periodically over the years. Meanwhile, the plot marches forward to a forceful finale at the Battle of Bull Run in 1861, which settles the fortunes of the secondary characters, including the resourceful Rose, who takes the hapless Temple under her wing; a brash "Virginia volunteer" named Percy Cooke; and Lt. Pip Crawford, who assumes command of Fort Little Stone when a pompous colonel abandons it. Watman's characters are well-drawn and the plot moves at a steady clip. It's an evocative panorama of the war's prelude.