LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth |
Booked Solid |
a review by Rebecca James |
Affinity, by Sarah Waters, hardcover, 2000 "Every poor lady that came to me, that touched my hand, that drew a small part of my spirit from me to herthey were only shadows...I was only seeking you out, as you were seeking me. You were seeking me, your own affinity... We have been cut, two halves, from the same piece of shining matter. Oh, I could say, I love youthat is a simple thing to say...but my spirit does not love yoursit is entwined with it. Our flesh does not love: our flesh is the same, and longs to leap to itself. It must do that, or wither! You are like me." When Tipping the Velvet was published two years ago, historical fiction readers everywhere recognized the strong, talented new voice. Sarah Waters enters the scene again with her second novel, Affinity. A Victorian love story of other-worldly dimensions, Affinity tells the tale of two women: one an upper-class spinster, the other an inmate of London's Millbank prison. Waters' knowledge of Victorian England is as evident in her descriptions of the country's mysterious and fashionable obsession with spiritualism and the grimy details of prison life as it was in Tipping the Velvet's dark and erotic underworld. Margaret Prior is a "Lady Visitor" at Millbank, a term used to describe a common practice for wealthy unmarried or widowed women, unencumbered with matrimonial duties by choice or fate. These women are expected to fulfill the family's charitable responsibilities, which has the added benefit of keeping them out of trouble. Prior, who only recently earned the classification "spinster" when her younger sister married before her, is expected to help rehabilitate Millbank's female prisoners by encouraging them to sit and visit like proper ladies. Prior, however, has a secret crime of her own; only her class and family rank protects her from becoming an inmate there herself. In Victorian England, a woman's deviation from social norms manifests itself in many ways. Some women are driven to petty theft and prostitution, others to infanticide and murder. Margaret Prior tried to commit suicideall are punishable by incarceration. Other women are able to defy society's expectations by entertaining or serving their wealthiest and most eccentric counterparts. Spiritualism becomes the latest parlor game for bored rich housewives, but provides, to some degree, an escape for the working class women who perform as their mediums. Selina Dawes was successfully "kept" by one of these women until one of her seances resulted in the death of one of the participants. Dawes was held responsible and sentenced to four years at Millbank. It is here that she catches the lonely eye of Margaret Prior. Sarah Waters leads her readers through the complex twists and turns as the two lovers search for each other beyond the confines of the prison wallsbeyond even the constraints of the human flesh. Alone in her spinster's room, Margaret waits for a sign from her affinity that she is present. A flower, a lock of hair passed through the trembling cord of the spirit world. Driven to obsession by her longings for Selina, Margaret begins to reject her family, her friends, her charitable duties. She lives only for the ghostly touch of her true love whose physical self is trapped within Millbank. Emotionally vulnerable from the very beginning, Margaret is on the verge of another collapse. Written as a collection of diary entries from each of the two women, Margaret's in the present (1874) and Selina's two years prior, Affinity can be difficult to sort through for facts. Subtle changes in the text and dates are at times the only initial clues that the character has changed. Like any diary one suddenly becomes privy to, there are references to events unnamed that require careful reading to decipher the implications of the described meeting. This is part of the mystery and attraction of the novel, but having some background information about the time period, as well as spiritualism can be helpful. As a reference tool, I found Alex Owen's The Darkened Room (1990) incredibly entertaining and informative. Through Margaret's entries, readers learn that her special bond with other women began as a girl with her friend Helen. It is only after Helen chooses to marry Margaret's brother rather than risk the spinster label that Margaret's health begins to decline. The death of her father and defender of her choice to remain single deals another shocking blow. After regaining strength following her suicide attempt, Margaret begins her visits to Millbank and Selina Dawes. Selina's writing is not as personal; it takes place before she meets Margaret and mainly serves as a record for her seances and documents her rise in spiritualist popularity. It is not until the final pages of the novel that we learn the absolute significance of every character detailed within her entries. Sarah Waters writes with a pace that spins faster and faster as the novel continues, sucking the readers under just when they thought they'd figured it all out. A surprise ending, layers of mysteries to unveil and great historical background make Affinity a hit. Rebecca James will be writing and practicing massage in Allentown, PA this winter, but she will return to Spa by the Sea in April of 2001. |
LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth, Vol. 10, No. 13, Sept. 22, 2000. |