978. Fingersmith

Fingersmith
Sarah Waters
2002

Around 510 pages

Fingersmith is one of my favorite novels of all time. I had absolutely no idea what I was in for going into this, but this fulfills the potential promised by Tipping the Velvet.

There are so many twists and turns in this story, that I hesitate to give even a cursory summary. Suffice to say, Sue Trinder, an orphan, is sent by her adoptive mother Mrs. Sucksby to a wealthy heiress' house to pose as a maid and convince her to elope with the Gentleman. The Gentleman will then have his new bride committed to a madhouse (because how easy was that in Victorian times?), and then split the fortune with his accomplices.

Fingersmith is an intensely erotic novel, but unlike many novels on the List, that's not the main draw of the story. This is a brilliantly thought out and well-paced plot that made for an extremely exciting read. Sue reminded me of older English heroines, like Jane Eyre and Catherine Moreland. I was immediately rooting for her. The other characters wouldn't have been out of place in a Dickens novel, and it was comforting to revisit that era in such an authentic feeling way.

Can't recommend this novel highly enough.

RATING: *****

Interesting Facts:

Adapted to television, stage, and film.

UP NEXT: Family Matters by Rohinton Mistry