A review by bethbarnham
The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters

5.0

This book is everything that I love about fiction. An historic crime thriller with a twist of fleeting, forbidden romance.

Leonard and Lillian Barber are a part of the increasing clerk class in 1920s post-war Britain. Frances and her mother, after the death of her father, are forced to seek tenants to assist with the upkeep of their large London villa after discovering they are not quite the upper class they thought they were. The Barbers are the perfect fit as lodgers - an upstanding young married couple - at least on the outside.

Frances lives with her mother and her daily chores consist of things only ‘maids’ should do - scrubbing the floor, laundry, cleaning. Frances is a spinster but one who has been associated as ‘odd’ for having rather strange relationships with her friends. We go on to find out that the ‘oddness’ referred to is actually because Frances is a lesbian. However, we’re never told this directly, with Sarah Waters being careful of the time period and not giving the ‘behaviour’ a label. It is perfectly written and the understanding - or lack of - surrounding the issues is timely for that post-war period.

The book deals with a plethora of issues for its time, hidden love, social issues within 1920s England, class issues, complex marriages built upon appearances rather than connection and love, poor relationship dynamics within families and friends. The Paying Guests has it all, the exploration in this novel, the detail, makes it one of my favourite reads, maybe of all time.