A review by vagaybond
That Inevitable Victorian Thing by E.K. Johnston

  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No
Mind boggled by a book existing that has a setting I grew up around? Like I wasn't in "cottage country" exactly but I grew up in so-called Trenton (Anishinaabe aki, Haudenosauneega, Nionwentsïo) which is at the end of the Trent Severn Waterway. I feel like this book really glossed over the colonialism of the Trent Severn and the treaty land it crossed in order to exist. The book seemed to touch on racism and colonialism but somehow it didn't go into actual decolonization. I'm not sure why that is other than ignorance on the author's part, particularly around the history of the land depicted. I'm not even that familiar with it but I do know how rough the cottagers vs Indigenous people conflict has been in this area. None of that was mentioned.

Maybe this wouldn't have been the bar I expected the author to step over gracefully normally. But the fact is that so much emphasis was spread on this weird idea that an empire could be more inclusive and be okay. The bar the author set out to fill was high. And it was not surpassed.

The love story was cute. I loved that it ended up in a polyamorous vee and I loved that there was intersex rep. It doesn't change the confusion I have about what the author choose historical narratives about and what was not mentioned about the specific setting.
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