Frannie has been accused of murdering her employers, George Benham and his wife, Marguerite. As Frannie is about to go on trial in London, she writes about her life, and what brought her to this point -- even though she can't remember what happened the night of the murders.
As a child and young lady, Frannie was a house slave on a sugar plantation in Jamaica. Her owner was a "scientist" who was trying to figure out why people with black skin were naturally inferior to whites. He taught Frannie to read, and she became his reluctant assistant. I won't say too much more. She ends up in London in the employ of another scientist.
Her story is fascinating and sad. Although at times I felt she could have done more to improve her position, she is still very sympathetic. There are some surprising twists that kept me in the story. The circumstances for a woman in her situation in the 1820s are merciless; the legal system left a lot to be desired, as well as the rampant prejudice.
I've never read Alias Grace, only watched the show, but now I'm interested in reading it also. The amnesia aspect of both of these stories intrigues me.
As I was reading, I thought The Confessions of Frannie Langton had the potential to leave things unresolved, or partially unresolved, but happily, that was not the case. The ending isn't expected to be a happy one, but I found it satisfying. Fans of gothic fiction, slavery stories, murder mysteries, and/or unreliable narrators will enjoy this fascinating novel.
Published by Harper, May 21, 2019
eARC obtained from NetGalley
384 pages
Rating: 4.5/5
This sounds good, but like it has the potential to be really creepy.
ReplyDeleteI have a copy of this one, it sounds good.
ReplyDeleteI think I'll find the hopelessness of her state overwhelming.
ReplyDeleteI also have a copy of this one because its premise is SO intriguing! I just have to make some time to actually read it. Glad it's worth the read.
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