A review by clara_mai
The Confessions of Frannie Langton by Sara Collins

4.0

 This is a very dark, slow historical gothic written in the form of a confessional text by Frannie Langton, who has been accused of murdering her mistress and is now being tried in court in London. She tells her life story, growing up enslaved on a farm called Paradise in Jamaica and later being taken to London to work for another rich family. As her account progresses, she reveals more and more of the sinister things she was forced to partake in in Jamaica. Both of the men who she has to work for carry extremely racist scientific beliefs, and Frannie plays a role in their experiments. In London, Frannie and Marguerite, the madame of the house, develop feelings for each other and start in affair, that leads to a very complicated and heartbreaking lovestory and some great steamy scenes.
Overall, this is very suspenseful and well done in terms of mystery, although there are some points that drag on for a bit too long. Through a writing style rich in similes invoking food, nature and darkness a lush atmosphere is created. As the form is allowing Frannie to tell her own story, questions of external vs. internal perception and harmful narratives are discussed in a thought-provoking and challenging way throughout the book. 
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