The Original
This clever Victorian gothic presents an unusual protagonist: Grace Inderwick is an orphan who suffers from facial blindness but also has an uncanny genius for memorizing and copying paintings. As the novel begins in 1899, what started as a hobby to escape the dreariness of her life as an unwanted guest in her wealthy uncle’s home, has become a potential career and ticket out of dependence. The only obstacle is the unexpected reappearance of her long-lost older cousin, once a trusted ally, but now an unwanted suitor at best – and sinister fraud at worst.
The novel keeps readers guessing as to the authenticity of the much-missed heir’s possible identity; Grace’s own disability makes it impossible for her to ever be sure whether he is a copy or the original. As she embarks on ever more complex forgery assignments, the reader gets fascinating lessons in art history and queer history. Grace is attracted to women, and the fate of her cousin’s South American idyll with a mysterious man figures tantalizingly in the question of just who he actually is. Grace herself begins to come to grips with what it means to be an authentic self in a world that defines women by their families and their roles, not by their talents.
There is so much going on in this slow-paced story – detailed descriptions of painting techniques, flashbacks to Charles’ world travels, long-buried family secrets – that it’s difficult to connect with these characters. This might, in fact, be deliberate on the author’s part, but it makes for a reading experience that is cerebrally rather than emotionally satisfying.
