A young girl born and living with thieves and ne'er do wells is put forward to turn her own scheme for the family. She is to pretend to be a rich woman’s personal maid, while convincing the lady to fall for and run away with a gentlemen who has planned the scheme all along to have her for her money.

To say there is more to it than just that is a grievous understatement, though. The voice in this is absolutely exquisite. It’s lyrical and shifting, reminiscent of gothic tales, Unafraid of including colloquialisms from Victorian times that roll off the tongue and feel intuitive in the language ecosystem of the novel.

Even better is the plotting. Like any good trick, there’s multiple layers occurring in any given seen, but you’re privy to only a small context until you get to each new part, alternating the point-of-view. It’s twisty and probably modelled after a magic trick. The Prestige comes to mind, but I’m not sure it is as precise as that.

My only complaint with it is that the narrative tension os deflated in the final part, in a way that makes the end almost interminable at times. It could have easily been truncated, preserving every relevant plot beat. I think it tries to shift the tension elsewhere, realizing it’s all but resolved, but it didn’t work for me. The voice makes it worth finishing regardless and the ending, when it does come, feels relatively satisfying. It feels like it wants to wrap up every small, innocuous thing, when a much more focused ending would have driven the “point” home much better.

3.5 rounded up. At points, a 5.