The Specimens
Set from 1819 to 1829, this grim-dark historical weaves fiction through the historical events of the Burke and Hare murder spree, spotlighting some of the more salacious and unseemly aspects of 19th-century society—grave-robbing and medical experimentation—in a gripping tale of murder and mayhem.
Dr. Robert Knox marries his servant girl, Susan, in an unsavoury, clandestine ceremony. He beds and impregnates her and ensconces her in his remote house near Leith. Held there as a virtual prisoner, Susan gives birth several times overseen by an accoucheur (male midwife) of Knox’s choosing. The births are graphic and brutal, but throughout dire events, Susan courageously manages to befriend her keeper, who confines her closely within the house under Knox’s instructions. The Knox relationship is an odd mix of kindness and indulgence posed against cruelty and desertion, and all the creepier for its peculiarity. A dollhouse is an inspired addition to Susan’s already darkly gothic life.
Meanwhile Helen MacDougal, an abused widow, befriends William Burke and sets up a common-law household with him in a rooming house, along with Burke’s friend and drinking buddy, William Hare. Burke admits to coming into money by nefarious means, but Helen is unaware it’s the ill-gotten gains of supplying corpses to the anatomist Dr Knox.
Burke’s befriending of Hare and his loathsome wife, Margaret, is the crux of Kidd’s story. A few of the historical victims of the murder spree are introduced quite late in the book, supplied with short histories, whereby these destitute itinerants become identifiably fleshed-out characters. The main cast is for the most part sympathetic (with notable exceptions), made possible by Kidd’s attention to her narrative structure and backstories as she interconnects both story strands. I read this in two sittings, barely coming up for air. A thought-provoking novel, which carries a wealth of information about the time period.
