A review by rkjreads
The Original: A Novel by Nell Stevens

5.0

 When we fall in love with a person, we fall in love with the copy of them, inexpertly done, that we carry around with us whenever they aren’t there.

Screaming because this is so good! It’s giving ‘be gay do crime’ but with Nell Steven’s beautiful writing style. I loved Briefly, a Delicious Life and I was so excited when I saw this and it definitely hasn’t let me down. 

Grace lives in her uncle’s house following her parents' admission into an asylum. She is face blind but has a talent for copying paintings. Her cousin Charles returns after being presumed lost at sea for over a decade to claim his inheritance although there are questions surrounding his true identity.

Parts definitely reminded me of Shirley Jackson, specifically the crumbling manor, the threads of madness that run in the family, and the mc being a strange young woman. Of course the tone is much less horrific overall but I really enjoyed this.

Artworks are woven into the text in a similar way to how music was present in BaDL, adding an additional depth to the storytelling. I was obsessed with the way forgery was used as an act of love and devotion throughout the story.

I need more people to read this so I can discuss it, especially because I want to know

how Charles2 knew about the rat? What was his relationship to Grace’s father? And why did Ferris protect him?

Overall I adored this and I can’t wait to get a hold of a physical copy.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC!