SPIRITED WRITING. (Affinity - Sarah Waters)

Member Name: thingywhatsit

Product:	Affinity - Sarah Waters
Date:	16/05/06 (186 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: A wonderful book, and the best I have read for a long time.

Disadvantages: None at all.

I have to admit when I bought this book, I did so based on the picture on the cover, as I did not have my glasses with me. Sounds silly, doesn't it, although relevant to my review of this book since, had I read the descriptions of other works given by the Independent on Sunday, whom I can only presume did not read this book, I perhaps would not have bought it. They describe her work entitled “Tipping the Velvet” as “a sexy and picaresque romp through the lesbian and queer demi-monde of the Roaring Nineties”. That made my approach to the book wary, since the kind of literature that I enjoy reading would not be of this ilk.

Undaunted by descriptions of her other works, I decided to take the plunge and read what is possibly the best book that I have read for a very long time.

The story takes the reader into the mysterious times of the 1870's and tells of how a young lady of relatively well bred background, recovering from the death of her father, is given a worthwhile job to do, visiting prisoners in a womens prison called Millbank as a “Lady Visitor”, intended to encourage the prisoners to seek self worth and respect. The description of the prison and of what the heroine of the story finds within the dark corridors that are home to many lady inmates is indeed detailed and pursuasive in that the reader is pulled into a story of despair, love, hope and betrayal in such a way that one almost believes the reality of the characters. This is a well written book, and I was rather impressed with the way the book diaries the lives of two women, whose lives touch in terrible circumstances, and yet makes each of the ladies characters plausible and exceptionally well detailed, one being a wealthy resident of a fashionable area in Chelsea, and the other a prisoner with whom she becomes enchanted, after her initial encounter, which left her startled and wanting to know more.

Every relationship within the book is explained in such a way as to be completely understandable. You feel for the characters, understand their views, their disappointments, and take a step back in time, as the routine of the ladies prison in the 1870's is detailed to such a degree that it almost like visiting the prison yourself and understanding the reactions of characters clearly drawn upon a canvas in such a way that you can almost see them. I have always believed that story writing should be like painting a picture with words, and Sarah Waters does this exceedingly well. Encouraged to visit at different times of the day, Margaret unravels the routines, the punishments, the joys and desperation of women incarcerated within the walls of Millbank.

I am irritated by writing that is not clear, and here Sarah Waters excels in clarity, but she goes further than that. What she achieves within the 352 pages is a well researched story that has a moral, and here the moral was not at all obvious until the later pages of the book. This isn't a book to cheat on, or to read ahead, but one to digest because each paragraph has relevance to the whole story, and one of the most valuable assets this writer has is her wonderful use of description, down to the most minute detail, though never superfluous, each little vignette created in words being there for a purpose.

The relationship between Margaret, the lady visitor in the book, and her mother was portrayed in such a way as to be familiar, and the sibling jealousy is given reason and substance. The staff at the prison are superbly portrayed, although the astounding relationship between Margaret and a prisoner that goes by the name of Selina Dawes is what makes the story work. Words were never wasted and the storyline was never padded with unecessary drivel. Each word had its' place and I really am impressed at the skill of this writer, whose love of the English language touches the reader on each page.

Stories which touch on the supernatural often fail to deliver feasibility although this books excels in that the only explanation for the strange events which befall Margaret are logical and clear, and the balance of the girls' mind explained in every detail as if reliving the experience. Encounters with spiritualists, explanations of their work and how it is used to develop a bond between two human beings is extraordinary.It was a hard book to put down, and once the reader was taken into the journey of discovery, the story was thrilling right to the very last page, which is rare.


One of the quotes at the beginning of the book is rather relevant and stated that she is “such a brilliant writer that the reader would believe anything that she told them”, and here her skills were akin to those of classical writers such as Jane Austen or the Bronte sisters. I would thoroughly recommend the book to those that want a read that is worthwhile, one that is startlingly realistic, and written in such a manner that there is no mistaking of the message borne within the pages.

A superb book and a writer that I shall be watching out for with interest in the future.

Rachel


ISBN 1-86049-692X
Available from Amazon at 6.39 GBP

Summary: A wonderful story that has you in its'grips