‘Fingersmith’ by Sarah Waters

And so you see it is love—not scorn, not malice; only love—that makes me harm her, in the end.

‘Fingersmith’ is a Victorian novel by Sarah Waters with lesbian and feminist themes. It is mostly set in Buckinghamshire, a nondescript place in the English countryside not far from London, and in London itself. The novel is divided into three parts: one narrated by Sue (or Susan), one by Maud, and one by Susan again.

Sue lives with her adoptive mother, Mrs. Sucksby, among London’s thieves. One day, Gentleman knocks on their door and makes her an offer she can’t refuse:

He will send Sue to Lady Maud Lilly to pose as her maid—and to convince Maud to marry Gentleman. Maud is an heiress but won’t inherit her fortune until she’s married. As soon as they are married, Gentleman will commit Maud to a ‘madhouse,’ take all her money, and share some of it with Sue.

Although the book was sometimes slow, it had more than one surprising plot twist!

CW: brutal ‘treatments’ in asylum, forced sexual contact, capital punishment, violence & torture, emotional abuse, gaslighting, child abuse, death