First published 2000
William Bartholomew comes back from Civil War battlefields carrying wounds that have changed his body and spirit. He arrives in New York City determined to rebuild what the war destroyed. The city brings him Jessie, a Creole woman working as a prostitute, who draws him into a business scheme rooted in the same conflict that scarred him. Bartholomew also strikes up a friendship with Herman Melville, who works as a deputy customs inspector. The famous author now lives as a forgotten man, watching his literary reputation fade while his family falls apart around him. Bartholomew must navigate his partnership with Jessie and his connection to the bitter Melville while wrestling with his own damaged conscience. The venture with Jessie forces him to confront what the war took from him and what he might still recover. As Bartholomew struggles between his ambitions and his moral compass, he searches for a way back to feeling fully alive.
Genres: literary-fiction, american-fiction, historical-fiction, 20th-century, american, 19th-century
Vibes: atmospheric, emotional, thought-provoking
Tropes: redemption, wounded-hero
Setting: New York City
Period: Civil War
Unbound · Harmony Books
Content warnings: war