Summer Reads...

Fingersmith by Sarah Waters ****

This book has been sat on my shelf for a while; I love Water's work so save it for when I have to rely on a good read - usually whilst on holiday. This one didn't disappoint!

Fingersmith is set in Victorian times and is all about a young girl named Sue Trinder, who is brought up in Oliver-esque style by a family of thieves after being orphaned as a baby when her mother was hanged. She forms an attachment with the matriarch of the family, Mrs Sucksby, who treats her like her own daughter, much to the disdain of some of the other residents.

She is given the chance to earn herself a good deal of money by joining forces with Richard 'Gentleman' Rivers, a young man who is a friend of the family. She poses as the handmaid to a young girl named Maud Lilly, living in a countryside estate named Briar, who is the heir to a great fortune. She befriends her, and persuades her to marry Mr Rivers (already a potential suitor), who in turn plots to commit her to a madhouse after their nuptials and therefore steal her money. The whole first section of the book is told from Sue's perspective, so the reader sees that despite her cruel intentions she is actually a nice person, who just wants a better life for herself.

*Spoilers*

However, it all goes wrong when after the plan has seemed to work, Maud and Gentleman tell the doctor that Sue is in fact Miss Lilly, the madwoman, a story which is convincing given that over a period of time Maud has been feeding her all of her food, and given her some of her pretty dresses, confessing she prefers more plain attire. Sue is forced into the madhouse, and desperately tries to convince the doctors of the mistake, only to be chastised further for refusing to accept treatment or admit her illness.

The second part of the book is told from Maud's perspective, who reveals the extent of her cruel inhabitance at Briar. After her mother died during childbirth in an asylum (having had her out of wedlock) she has been brought up by her uncle, and made to read pornographic novels in order to help him create a bibliography of all the existing literature in the field. She becomes vicious and unruly and resents her mother for abandoning her.

She is visited by Gentleman who promises to set her up in a house in Chelsea if she follows his plan to trick Sue; but in the end he tricks them all as she is taken back to Mrs Sucksby to live a life of squalor in the city. Eventually Susan escapes the madhouse and returns to her original home, where she sees what has happened and Gentleman is killed. Mrs Sucksby takes the blame and is hanged, and Maud returns to Briar. Later on, Sue finds the will of her dead mother, which reveals that she is in fact the heir to the estate's fortune, and that Mrs Sucksby switched the babies at birth to save her a cruel upbringing. She goes to Briar and her and Maud confess their love for each other and live together in the house. 

This book was full of twists that were totally unexpected, but when they began to happen, everything clicked into place and became completely obvious. It was kept fast paced and thrilling, the writing was brilliant as ever and the characters complex and despite their human flaws, remained believable and likeable. Another storming novel by Waters, whose repertoire I am slowly exhausting!