Nostalgia: A Civil War Novel

by Susannah Willey

Bullets flew, cannon roared, but there was something much more insidious that stalked the battlefield, and Jim had no idea how to treat it.

Dr. Jim Banyon, an ambitious Civil War surgeon, confronts the brutal realities of battlefield medicine. His initial quest for glory gives way to a moral crusade as he recognizes the unseen psychological wounds of war, which the army dismisses as cowardice. Forced to choose between his career and his conscience, Jim must defend the broken soldiers nobody else will, a decision that will cost him everything but his own humanity.

344 pages, Hardcover

Published December 17, 2025

About the author

Susannah Willey is the award-winning author of War Sonnets (JUL 2023, Utter Loonacy Press). Awarded a five star “award of excellence” by the Historical Fiction Company, War Sonnets was also awarded third place in the General Fiction Category of its 2022 Book of the Year awards.
Susannah Willey was born in 1952 in the small town of Ira, New York where her family settled over 200 years ago. She received a degree in Instructional Computing from SUNY Empire State College in 1998 and a degree in Instructional Design from Boise State in 2002. She and her partner make their home in Central New York in the foothills of the Adirondacks. A baby-boomer and a first-generation computer geek, nature photography and hiking are among her passions and, like all good grannies, she knits.
Susannah loves to tackle the less explored emotional experiences of war. Her rich family history often serves as the foundation for her historical novels. Her first novel, War Sonnets, was inspired by poetry written by her uncle about his experiences in the Pacific War during WWII. Susannah loves to tackle the less explored emotional experiences of war. Her rich family history often serves as the foundation for her historical novels. Her first novel, War Sonnets, was inspired by poetry written by her uncle about his experiences in the Pacific War during WWII. Her latest novel, Nostalgia, follows a Civil War surgeon and is loosely based on the military service of two ancestors. Nostalgia was short-listed for the Historical Fiction Company’s 2025 Book of the Year.
Stay connected with Susannah—and stay informed about special deals, giveaways, new releases and other fabulous reader perks—by subscribing to her blog at Utterloonacy.com

Reviews

[Burnetta Swartz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Had just finished reading "And the World Played Chess" by Dugoni, a book about the struggles and victories of soldiers suffering with PTSD following Viet Nam when I was notified that Willey had just released a new book, Nostalgia, about the same concern except during the Civil Way. I had enjoyed her first book, War Sonnets, so I got a copy.

It was well worth the read as it did center on issues of, call it what you will, PTSD/Shell Shock/Nostalgia. Clearly, not majorly different from one another and, at least today, we have a better understanding (not thorough) understanding of the disorder.

Dr. Jim Banyon, the Civil War physician, has both personal and professional interest in the condition. The book does not hide, overdo, or deny the bloody and brutal conditions of this, probably our worst, war. However, the gruesome sections reveal the struggles of soldiers that eventually evolve into the condition. The Doctor has to face the disbelief of the soldiers in command who consider it cowardly, malingering or just pretending. And, Dr. Banyon's fellow medical staff people, while they support his work, are not really convinced. Trouble eventually comes for Dr. Banyon and he has to struggle with his own conscience as well as his obligations to others.

Seems the struggle still goes on today, but the book gives one hope that at least someone is thinking about the concerns. Someone who loves his country, loves his profession and mostly cares deeply about those personally touched by the dilemma he faces.

Excellent read. Seemed both historically true and medically accurate. I had not known how little medicine knew about disease let alone how to treat anything. Sobering, but in the end uplifting as the book leaves you with hope for the future. War will always be hell, but at least we are moving forward to discover and understand the horrors.

[Janis Daly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Susannah Willey’s Nostalgia opens with a single, devastating truth: the outward violence of war is only half the story. It’s the other half, however, that Willey explores, which gives the story its inner depth. Through her main character, Dr. Jim Banyon, we enter the battlefields, surgical areas, hospitals, and prisons of the U.S. Civil War, where Banyon witnesses the slow, unseen unraveling of a man’s mind. Nostalgia takes its title from a nineteenth-century clinical vocabulary that physicians used to describe a constellation of symptoms — severe homesickness, despair, chronic anxiety and functional breakdown. Modern readers will recognize the condition as what we now call PTSD. Willey’s research into period medical writings, surgeons’ letters, and asylum case notes (woven into the narrative rather than shoehorned into exposition) underscores how limited contemporary diagnoses were and how often psychological injury was dismissed as moral failing.
That historical frame deepens the tragedy. Dr. Banyon treats not only the wounds of flesh but also battles the ignorance of an institution that cannot imagine invisible wounds as legitimate. The “big bugs” want every able-bodied man on the battlefield. If outwardly they look fine, then throw them back into the situations that are driving their inner demons. Banyon struggles with these commands as defined with Willey’s precise and human prose of conscience and an oath to care and treat the injured, whether their scars are visible or not.

Lovers of literary historical fiction, readers interested in medical history, and anyone who appreciates moral complexity in a character-driven story will enjoy Nostalgia as both a finely observed period piece and a timely meditation on how societies assess all the costs of war.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Nostalgia” is a thoughtful exploration of the ravages of war (specifically post-traumatic stress disorder) as seen through the eyes of both an army surgeon (Dr. Jim Banyon) and an infantry solider (Napoleon Drown), in a time when it was only starting to be understood. Willey’s talent for writing relatable characters and universal human experiences has grown since her last novel, “War Sonnets.” But, just like in her previous novel, Willey does not shy away from describing the human toll of war through some truly gut-wrenching moments. She portrays the grotesque and inhumane conditions that a reader needs to know about in order to fully understand what it would have been like to be in the middle of a Civil War battle. She clearly did her research, which is evident in the fully fleshed-out battle details and conditions, and also in the culture and mannerisms of the time and places she depicts. A few side-character vignettes (inserted between the Napoleon-focused or Jim-focused chapters) do a good job of adding to the human element, creating relatable, character-building moments. While the very end of the story felt abrupt and a little uncharacteristic to me, it was a satisfying read as a whole.

[Pat · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoy learning about history through a compelling narrative, and this book certainly delivers. It offers a powerful exploration of the consequences of war and its lasting impact on those who serve.

The characters are well-developed, and the reader can truly feel their struggle as they wrestle with their consciences and their sense of duty. Dr. Jim Banyon arrives at war questioning his path in life, but when he is forced to challenge authority to protect his patients, he undergoes a significant transformation.

[Judy Beers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nostalgia catches the reader quickly as we read about the Civil War from a surgeon's perspective. Ms Willey takes the reader to the battlefield & makes the mental trauma real.
A great read.