Sam Time by Donna Balon

Any historical fiction admirer would love the idea of being able to transport themselves to their favourite period of the past in order to experience it, no matter how briefly. And the next best thing? To follow the story of someone who is able to do this like the heroine of Sam Time, Samantha Hunter.

The book begins with Balon establishing key relationships that will influence Sam throughout the novel – Grace, her sister; John, Grace’s soon-to-be husband and Aaron, John’s best friend who Grace and John have matched with Sam. It is obvious that Sam and Aaron have chemistry and soon, they are planning their future together, including their wedding. But when Aaron’s job takes him away, Sam fears loneliness and it is this, together with a serendipitous purchase, that acts as a catalyst which transports her to the past.

Sam is a history professor so she has a lot of prior knowledge of America’s past and in particular, her interest focuses on the Civil War. She is in pursuit of a doctorate but is in need of a central idea – enter Ulysses S. Grant. Transported to the past when she is asleep, Sam’s interaction with Grant does not immediately impact her present, although as the book continues and she finds herself more and more drawn to the 1800s, her surreptitious time-travelling begins to manifest itself more obviously in her present.

The plot of the book has Sam balancing her two lives: the one in the present with Aaron and the one where she delves into the past and meets with Grant.

There is much to like about this novel. It flows readily from start to finish and Balon manages the various encounters that Sam has with Grant well in terms of their placing within the plot –there is no clunkiness here. Balon is able to provide lively dialogue between her characters but I did feel at times that it could be more nuanced – extra direction given to gestures and movement between speeches, for instance – and this would have intensified the relationship that Sam has with Grant, for me. However, my interest was maintained throughout, especially in the latter interactions between them which felt more involved and I was keen to know how it would end and be resolved for Sam.

For those who like an easy historical read, this is a good choice.

This review was first published on Reedsy Discovery where I was privileged to read it as an ARC.