This post is part of a blog tour. Thank you to Random Things Tours and Simon and Schuster for providing me with a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
It’s 1768 and the enslaved people on the Garnett Plantation in Jamaica have had enough, it’s time to seek their revenge and escape a life of misery. This dramatic opening gives glimpses of the horrors that have been experienced, some truly bone chilling. The main focus however, is setting up the relationships between the characters we will follow for the next nearly five hundred pages, and to give an understanding of their history. Thirteen years later we meet Daniel and Pearl again, in New York. Friends with the wealthy Fitzallens, they have made a good life for themselves. When they head to London they discover that not all members of the family are as good hearted, and James Fitzallen is set up as the villain of the piece, one that will make your blood boil. Sadly, their reception in London generally is one of threat and distrust, and the life they had hoped for soon proves itself out of their reach. A young woman, Jen, meets them in a moment of need and suggests they make their home in the St. Giles Rookery, a place where the desperate find some shelter and companionship, ruled over by the dangerous Elias.
Their life there is challenging and Daniel smarts with the injustice of how their fortunes have turned once again. His desire to keep Pearl safe means he feels compelled to agree to Elias’ demands and soon finds himself in a position where he needs to betray those who have been good to him. You do really feel for Daniel to begin with but he doesn’t always make the best decisions, and he is far from in control of his emotions, treating those who are looking out for him badly. He tries to control Pearl despite her being a young adult, and although this is clearly rooted in love, he doesn’t seem to learn that explaining his reasoning would help people get on board with his ideas. Pearl is a companion character, we see her development only through Daniel’s eyes and through her rebellions against him.
The community they find in the rookery, those willing to put themselves on the line for others, and groups fighting for change is a strong one, but not without its conflicts. There is no love for Elias among his ‘subjects’ but fear keeps them loyal. With the new arrivals on the scene, some believe change is on the horizon. Daniel is resistant to power, but his successes in the ring show how much the community need a hero, and he might not have much choice in playing the role.
This is a book that doesn’t shy away from the hardships experienced by many in the eighteenth century. It explores the experience of people of colour living in London during a time where slavery was still rife, where any run in with the law could have you shipped off in chains. It is horrifying, and we are shown how it traps people in situations they might otherwise have a chance of escaping. There are moments where you become deeply invested in the characters, but for a lot of the book they feel fairly surface level and predictable. Elias is undoubtedly a character with a wicked core, but we don’t quite see enough of him to really feel the hatred that the other characters do. James Fitzallen is absent throughout most of the book, and although he does reappear, constantly working to undermine the life Daniel is building, he is ephemeral and so we don’t experience the emotions of their conflict as strongly as it seemed we would when first introduced. Another character from the past makes a reappearance in the latter parts of the book, and although they add a bit of extra difficulty, and the opportunity to reveal a secret, again they don’t make that much of an impact. The ideas are good but the story progresses much as you would expect and it all feels a little too neat, moments that are designed to be high tension lack drama because you feel certain of the outcome.
Most of the characters are fictional but the situations are rooted in history, shining a light on a part of London’s Georgian history that has largely been ignored. Daniel and Pearl’s story might be atypical in its conclusion, but the struggle is very real. This is an accessible introduction to this history, and one which evokes the surroundings and struggle of people at all stages of life vividly. It also highlights the normalcy of the presence of people of colour in London in this period - running pubs, shop owners, etc, a reality that is often skipped in historical fiction.
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