The Last of What I Am : A Novel

A haunting and beautifully written novel about a Confederate soldier whose own personal war follows him into the afterlife—until one fateful day when his encounters with a modern-day couple change everything. A ghost in his deserted childhood home in Virginia, Tom Smiley can’t forget the bloody war and its meaningless losses, nor can he shed his revulsion for his role in the Confederate defense of slavery. But when a young couple moves in and makes his home their own in the early twenty-first century, trouble erupts—and Tom is forced not only to face his own terrible secret but also to come to grips with his family’s hidden wartime history. He finds an unexpected ally in the house’s new owner, Phoebe Hunter, whose discoveries will have momentous consequences for them both. Readers who enjoy immersive historical fiction books featuring vivid depictions of the Civil War and its lingering impacts—or historical and literary ghost fiction like Lincoln in the Bardo and The Haunting of Hill House—as well as those interested in thought-provoking explorations of slavery, racism, morality, and humanity, will find much to appreciate in The Last of What I Am. A perfect book club pick for fans of Civil War books like Simon the Fiddler and The Sweetness of Water, or anyone else looking for an impactful, thought-provoking read that offers a unique viewpoint on the Civil War and its legacy.  

A haunting and beautifully written novel about a Confederate soldier whose own personal war follows him into the afterlife—until one fateful day when his encounters with a modern-day couple change everything.

A ghost in his deserted childhood home in Virginia, Tom Smiley can’t forget the bloody war and its meaningless losses, nor can he shed his revulsion for his role in the Confederate defense of slavery. But when a young couple moves in and makes his home their own in the early twenty-first century, trouble erupts—and Tom is forced not only to face his own terrible secret but also to come to grips with his family’s hidden wartime history. He finds an unexpected ally in the house’s new owner, Phoebe Hunter, whose discoveries will have momentous consequences for them both.

Readers who enjoy immersive historical fiction books featuring vivid depictions of the Civil War and its lingering impacts—or historical and literary ghost fiction like Lincoln in the Bardo and The Haunting of Hill House—as well as those interested in thought-provoking explorations of slavery, racism, morality, and humanity, will find much to appreciate in The Last of What I Am. A perfect book club pick for fans of Civil War books like Simon the Fiddler and The Sweetness of Water, or anyone else looking for an impactful, thought-provoking read that offers a unique viewpoint on the Civil War and its legacy.