“Everything done for the second time is a copy of when it was done for the first time, and an attempt to bring back something lost.”
Nell Stevens The Original (W.W. Norton & Company 2025) is a delicious, queer historical fiction, laced in a Victorian gothic tradition that rendered it un-put-down-able.
As a young girl, Grace is sent to her uncle’s sprawling estate where much of her time is spent keeping out of the way and waiting for madness to come. As both her parents were committed (the final straw was fornicating in public), she assumes her madness could reveal itself at any time. The family has been cursed by a long dead relative, and the heirs are dying. After twelve years and presumed lost at sea, her cousin returns after her uncle’s death for his inheritance. But is it really Charles or an imposter?
Graces knows a lot about imposters. She’s a fraudster herself, painting copies of notable works and turning them for a profit. Cursed with prosopagnosia, Grace is unable to recognize and/or remember faces, even of those she loves. She, therefore, cannot look at Charles to determine if he is real or a “copy.” One thing is certain, he knows things that only Charles, or someone extremely close to him, would know.
An investigation into the potential fraud is launched, with Grace believing him to be her cousin at times and an imposter at times. Sometimes he proves himself an ally, sometimes an enemy. He certainly keeps her on her toes. He is the only one who knows that she loves women, much like he loves men. He also knows about the paintings – Charles has known about the paintings since the first replica she made. (A replica that tossed the family on its head as the original had been burned and then it showed back up, like a ghost.)
While a bit predictable as it unfolds, this is certainly worth a read.
A Girl Named Tommi 