Historical fiction has always been one of my favorite genres especially when it tackles a subject that I’m not as familiar with. The Traitors Wife delves into the betrayal of Benedict Arnold and the possible role of his wife Peggy. Prior to reading this, I will admit that my knowledge of the betrayal of Benedict Arnold was pretty limited. I did know that he was responsibly for betraying the revolutionaries during the Revolutionary War but other than I was pretty much clueless. And I was even more clueless about his wife, Peggy – but, after reading this I feel a little bit more clued in – even if it is only in the fictional sense.

The Traitors Wife is told from the point of view of Peggy’s lady’s maid, Clara. Clara is presented a neutral character regarding what is going on around her but, as time progresses she becomes more and more open regarding her own personal feelings. You see, Peggy really isn’t the nicest person to Clara, and has a real tendency to be manipulative to those around her. This includes her husband, Benedict, who is a commander in the Revolutionary Army. Peggy’s loyalties were with the British Royal army regardless of who may have been sacrificed along the way.

Peggy plays the role of the sweet innocent dame on the surface while behind the scenes, she is creating so much scandal. It starts with a sinful relationship with a British commander. When this goes south for her, she starts seducing American war hero, Benedict Arnold so that he will court her. This seduction works but she is not done there. Instead, she continues to manipulate him using his need for power to force his hand and to be a traitor against his own country. It honestly was very compelling to read about the steps that she took in order to accomplish her goals. And it made me curious if the real Peggy was as manipulative or if this was an exaggeration for the sake of a story. Similarly, I couldn’t help but feel that Benedict Arnold was very gullible and wondered if that was real or for the sake of a good story.

I’m glad that Clara was the narrator for the betrayal instead of Peggy. Like I said, she is more of a neutral character. Where Peggy is narcissistic and brash, Clara is empathetic and soft spoken. Allison Pataki does a good job of pitting the two characters as polar opposites – not just because of their positions in society but also because of their points of view. Through the timeline of The Traitor’s Wife, Clara comes into her own as a character, and this gives her the strength to make difficult decisions regarding The Arnold’s. Going on a journey with a character is one of my favorite parts as a reader and that is exactly what I got with this.

I think The Traitor’s Wife will be enjoyed by fans of historical fiction. The first half of the book is focused more on the parties and courtships of the time while the second half is focused on the war and the betrayal. I thought that the two parts balanced each other out but personally I enjoyed the second part a bit more simply because it was more engaging. I kept turning pages to find out what happened with the betrayal and what Clara’s role in everything was going to be. All in all, not everything in this version is completely factual but, it really was an enjoyable read for me.