Now then, what in my eyes makes a book of Civil War fiction unique? Genre marriages abound—there’s historical-romance, historical-time travel, historical-mystery, even alternative history, or “fantasy-history,” if you will. Yes, I’ve seen them all. Now, I’m certainly not saying that these combined genres lack entertainment value. Indeed, many of these bewedded genres are some of my favorite books of all time (Harry Turtledove’s inspired and riveting The Guns Of The South immediately springs to mind). But are these books truly unique? A good question. All I do know is that I have never once stumbled across a book such as Beaudry’s Ghost, a mixture of the paranormal and Civil War fiction.

But is this book, a story set in modern-day America, truly a work of historical fiction, one might ask? Another good question, and one I’ve pondered for several days. Well, after much internal debate, I have not only decided that it truly is a work of historical fiction, but a rather unique gem at that, one that fits all the requirements I listed earlier.

I admit, I perused the first page with skepticism. How can an author, I asked myself, hope to blend psychometry with my pet period of American history, and, more importantly, make it convincing, make me believe that the story I’m reading could possibly happen? The first thing I needed to accomplish was purge all skepticism from my mind, to open myself to the possibilities. A difficult task, I also will admit. But I managed it, and allowed Ms. Ivey’s concise prose to sweep me into a strange world of life’s wildest possibilities. And, darn it, she accomplished her difficult task—

In spades!!!

Beaudry’s Ghost centers around two fascinating characters—Taylor Brannon, a young woman with the bizarre gift (or curse, in her opinion) of being able to touch an object and see the spirit of its deceased owner, and Jared Beaudry, a Union soldier killed during the Battle of Roanoke in 1862. What happens in this story is a time-traveling situation in reverse, with the past character coming back to “life” in the present day. As a ghost, Jared has been wandering for over a century, waiting for an opportunity to avenge his gruesome, dishonorable death. During a reenactment of the Civil War Battle of Roanoke, in which Taylor is participating, Jared Beaudry finds his long-awaited opportunity and takes over the body of one of the Yankee reenactors.

Once Beaudry makes his presence known, Taylor is the only person who notices something has gone terribly wrong. Beaudry’s actions create a domino effect, and Taylor sees strange shadows beside the bodies of the Rebel reenactors, then realizes, with her psychometric powers, that all of her friends have been taken hostage by the spirits of dead Confederates. Reenactors begin calling each other by different names, recovering alcoholics begin sipping from flasks of liquor that miraculously appear in pockets, and when Taylor’s friend Harry, who was portraying the role of “Bloody” Zachariah Harris (the very Rebel lieutenant who had captured Beaudry 137 years earlier and cut off his hand, leg, and his head) begins acting as cruel and deranged as the original, her horror escalates. This is not a game, not part of the reenactment schedule, not a show for the tourists, as she had first thought, and no one can help her.

Eventually, Taylor finds herself in the midst of a “real” Civil War battle. Not only does she fight to save her life and the lives of the Yankee reenactors who have no idea that their Rebel counterparts have loaded their firearms with live ammunition, but also, after growing close to Jared Beaudry, she has to save his “new” body from experiencing the same fate at the hands of “Bloody” Zachariah Harris.

The story is generally intriguing, with ghosts of both people and bitter memories driving the characters forward to their individual destinys. A fair amount of humor also comes into play, with Jared experiencing some of the wonders of the 20th-Century that we take for granted. And of the several subplots, Taylor and Jared’s love story is perhaps the most poignant, complicated, and mysterious of them all. Even if she does manage to save Jared from reexperiencing a dishonorable death, how will Taylor cope with losing him after his body’s rightful owner demands “reentry”?

So once again, is this an historical novel?

My answer : Who cares? All I know is that Beaudry’s Ghost is well-written, dramatic, and highly unique. Not only that, but it’s damned entertaining. (Word has it that the author is thinking of a sequel—one can only pray!!!)