Overview

The Last Lamplighter is a work of historical fiction set in 1850s Worcester, Massachusetts, a time when industry reshaped existence. The novel invites consideration of moments when technological advancement outpaces social ethics, and asks whether innovation necessarily leads to collective betterment.

The book centers on two characters who face class and gender inequality, and whose political consciousness emerges through daily life: work, friendship, observation, survival, and the deep bond they develop with one another.

Current Status

  • Manuscript: In progress

  • Genre: Upmarket historical fiction

  • Representation: Unagented

  • Publication status: Unpublished

Central Themes

  1. Class consciousness and labor exploitation

  2. Women’s political voice and self‑determination

  3. Men as allies in an equitable future

  4. Moral courage in ordinary lives

  5. The human cost of industrial/technological progress

The Last Lamplighter Is Underway


Talent is what they say
you have after the novel
is published and favorably
reviewed. Beforehand what
you have is a tedious
delusion, a hobby like knitting.
— Marge Piercy