Sense and Suitability
Pepper Basham’s Austen-inspired Sense & Suitability shares more with Persuasion than Sense and Sensibility, in that a socially unequal engagement between heroine Emmeline Lockhart and love object Simon Reeves was ended several years before the time of the novel. Simon appears to be a libertine, though the Austen- (or Bridgerton-) trained reader will know to expect that his reputation outruns his reality. Basham explicitly makes the outspoken Emmeline an Austen fan and more, an Austen-inspired novelist herself. Her potential for financial independence, despite the social stain of professional authorship, allows Emmeline to ignore some social restrictions, diluting the power imbalance that otherwise rules Austenian relationships. As Aunt Albina ruthlessly shepherds Emmeline toward practical matches and Simon miserably pursues wealthy women to save his failing estate and clutch of orphaned younger siblings, the two seek to redefine a “suitable” marriage partner.
Basham’s novel is published under an imprint of HarperCollins Christian Publishing, which is apparent only in Emmeline’s handsome cousin, Thomas, a minister. Ministers abound in Austen, of course, good-hearted ones like Edmund Bertram and Catherine Moreland’s father, as well as selfish and vain ones like Mr. Elton and Mr. Collins. But Thomas is utterly without flaw, without a single quirk, and, like Elizabeth Bennet, I cannot laugh at it. His advice is sound, his preaching persuasive, and his social steps always sure and correct, if pedantic.
In Austen, of course, the hero’s heart is generally as much a mystery to the reader as it is to the heroine. Here, because the narrative alternates between Emmeline’s perspective and Simon’s, the reader never doubts the conclusion and never distrusts Simon’s character. Having said that, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, as much because I knew what was coming as despite it. It is entertaining and delightful, a sweet nod to the world Austen created.
