I’m surprised to have been overjoyed by the historical novel by Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie titled My Dear Hamilton.

It’s the fictional story of Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton, unsung wife of Alexander Hamilton. I read it because I am a history buff and don’t know as much as I ought to about the American Revolution, to which I have devoted some attention in recent years. I dreaded it because I’m not much for romances and feared this would be one.

It’s not, but if it was, it would be okay.

I enjoyed the novel immensely. I found new perspectives on many figures other than the subject and her brilliant, complicated husband, famously crucial to the Revolution as a military leader and to the young nation for his influence and his martyrdom.

Seldom have I looked forward to finishing a book as this one and for an odd reason. I wanted to read the Notes from the Authors and Acknowledgements because I sought some insight into just how many liberties were taken and why. I’m not going to reveal the intimations that were compelling in deference to readers who would enjoy the novel more without knowing them in advance. I’ve already made that mistake once in recommending it to someone I saw at a store. It was the answer to “what you been doing?” and it didn’t occur to me that mentioning the novel would make him want to read it. He scribbled the name, and I immediately regretted spilling a few beans from its text.

It was no surprise that Washington was lionized, as was Lafayette, whose depiction I yearned to read. It was also no surprise that Aaron Burr was a villain.

For most of the characters … it’s complicated. Thus is it food for thought.

I thought it ended a bit over-neatly, but that’s a relatively minor quibble.

It’s fiction about history. Much can be neither proved nor disproved. The authors took their best shots, and an admirable percentage ripped the nets.