PEOPLE OF ABANDONED CHARACTER
Clare Whitfield
Head of Zeus
REVIEWED BY FEBY IDRUS
Set in Victorian London, Susannah gives up her job as a nurse to throw herself into a marriage with a man who is intelligent, a doctor, and independently wealthy; exactly the kind of man who can save her from her dirt-poor, loss-ridden life.
Of course, as soon as they marry, this perfect man changes entirely and coincidentally, women start turning up gruesomely murdered in Whitechapel. The papers start to call the murderer Jack the Ripper and Susannah starts to wonder if her now abusive husband is him.
As her past is slowly revealed, it becomes clear the Jack the Ripper storyline is not really the main cause of our interest. We keep reading because we want to follow Susannah, discovering who this fascinating character is and whether she, too, is also of abandoned character.
The mystery of Jack the Ripper is still a big part of why this book is such an effective page turner, though. The real identity of the killer has never been discovered, but the details of the murders are well documented.
Whitfield has clearly done her research, and very cleverly weaves her plotline around the known details of the murders, effectively marrying fact and fiction. The Ripper storyline also ties in with the overall theme of violence or mistreatment of women: on a personal level in Susannah’s marriage, and on a wider level, in patriarchal Victorian England.
Whitfield has also done her research into what London was like at that time, especially the poorer parts where the murders took place. The insufferable living conditions, filth, crime and hopelessness are all brought to squalid life.
With a compelling central character, an attention-grabbing murder mystery, and an easy-to-read, characterful writing style, Whitfield’s novel is an excellent debut, and bodes well for her future career.
Feby Idrus is a writer, musician, and arts administrator
