A review by serendipitysbooks
Fingersmith by Sarah Waters

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

 
Fingersmith was a fabulously engrossing read with wonderful storytelling. It’s got something for many different types of reader.

If you like Victorian literature, know that this is very Dickensian in terms of setting, characters and plot set-up. The two main characters are Sue, a poor orphan who was raised by petty criminals, including a baby farmer, and Maud, who was raised by her wealthy uncle and trained to assist him with his business - cataloguing and trading books. However, Waters plays with these tropes and takes them in directions Victorian authors did not. For instance, the books Maud’s uncle worked with were erotic and pornographic. Fingersmith is also slightly Dickensian in terms of style. If a slow story with plenty of detail isn’t your thing you might want to pass on this.

If you are a Shakespeare fan know that this plot features confused, switched, and mistaken identities that would do the Bard proud.

If you enjoy crime stories, mysteries and thrillers know that this plot revolves around a planned con whereby a wealthy woman will be relieved of her fortune. There are many twists and turns, crosses and double-crosses along the way. This story may be long but I was never bored.

For those who enjoy well-written and structured stories Fingersmith delivers. The story has three main parts and the point of view switches from Susan to Maud and back to Susan again. The first switch coincided with a major twist, which totally took me by surprise. I enjoyed the two different voices and sometimes seeing the same scene from more than one perspective. Additionally it cleverly balances the seemingly opposite notions of love and betrayal and explores this dynamic through multiple lenses.

For romance fans, especially those who enjoy LGBTIQA+ storylines, this plot featured a subtle, sexy and surprising sapphic love story.

Lovers of historical fiction will likely appreciate the parts of the plot centred on the horrors of being institutionalised against your will and without cause, and of the horrors that passed for mental health treatment in such instititions in Victorian times. 
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