Fingersmith, Sarah Waters
I am noticing a theme as I am reviewing my books. I will rarely, if ever, tell you what the book is about if it’s fiction. That’s because I pay attention to the writing and HOW the story is told, what the themes are, what’s the point the author is trying to make, what are the deeper meanings, etc. This is definitely one of those reviews. It isn’t that I don’t care about the story, but a “good story” isn’t enough if I am going to read fiction.
Fingersmith was published in 2002 but it is modeled after an old gothic novel. (Examples: Rebecca, Wuthering Heights, Jane Eyre, The Picture of Dorian Gray)If you want to read this book, do not read the next paragraph until you have read it because I am afraid it will spoil it and you won’t have the same reaction that I did.
SPOILER (SORT OF). STOP READING AND COME BACK AFTER!
I remember lying on the couch wrapping up a chapter—then I started the next chapter and the narrator COMPLETELY changed and began to tell the entire story over again but from her perspective. My jaw dropped and I jumped in the shower to take a break. I thought “HOW DID THE AUTHOR PULL THIS OFF?” It was a very risky move. There are a lot of books with multiple narrators, but they typically continue the story throughout the narration changes. This one ran the risk of completely boring the reader by the time the second narrator told the story. You already know the facts, but the viewpoint is different. I have still never seen an author do that. I hope whoever decides to read it loves that risky move as much as I did.