Affinity (Virago V S.)

by Sarah Waters

[empressbrooke]

Affinity is the story of Margaret, a young woman in Victorian era England, who attempts to commit suicide after her father dies. As part of her recovery, she becomes a "Lady Visitor" at a women's prison, an upper-class role model for the prisoners to look up to and emulate. She and one of the prisoners, Selina Dawes, end up falling for each other. Margaret spends her time away from her researching Selina's life and the crime that landed her in prison.

Much of the book is spent on the supernatural obsessions of the Victorian era: séances, mediums, and spirit guides all play a large role in the plot. Sarah Waters creates a bleak atmosphere that's almost overbearing after awhile. Between the confines of the prison and the confines of the roles women could play in the time period, the mood becomes almost oppressing.

I spent 90% of the book being dissatisfied with it. It crawls very, very slowly, and not very much actually happens. In reality, it is very expertly setting up a stunning denouement. The last few pages totally made my head spin and almost made the book worth the time I had spent reading it. However, I can't completely revise my opinion of the first 90%; it seems like a major flaw that it took the author so long to get there, or that she couldn't have made it more interesting in the meantime. I really want to recommend this book because the end is so brilliant, but I can't recommend sitting through what it takes to get there.