The Last Gentleman

Description

Williston Bibb Barrett is a displaced Southerner working nights as a janitor in New York City. Troubled by a nervous condition that brings déjà vu and gaps in memory, Will moves through life without a secure sense of place or self. His encounter with the Vaught family offers a new direction: they invite him to return South as caretaker for their son Jamie, who requires medical treatment. The journey draws Will into the family's intimate troubles while forcing him to reconsider the region he left and the identity he has failed to settle. Comic yet searching, the novel follows an uncertain man through illness, obligation, and attachment as he looks for a home and a meaning capable of surviving his own disorientation.

Themes