What a delightful little novella. This story takes us on a journey through the pornography trade in Victorian England, something I'd never really thought about existing before but makes perfect sense once I did. There has always been pornographic writings and drawings and sculptures, but for the first time people had the ability to take pictures of nude bodies and sexual acts, and of course the flipside of the rigid outward morality of that era would be the vice underneath.
The story focuses on Gilbert Lawless, the illegitimate biracial son of a Lord who became a pornographic book seller and author after he was cast out of his family following his father's death. After the cousin who inherited the estate from his father also dies, his relatives invite him back to request he dispose of his cousin's extensive pornography collection. Meanwhile, Vikram, an old friend from school who Gil hasn't seen since he had to leave suddenly when his father died, is searching for clues about the disappearance of a young Indian man. He shows up at Gil's bookstore looking for help finding the photographer who took a particular picture. Friendship and romance is rekindled after many years as they go on an adventure together to track down the young man.
I read on the author's blog that a version of this story had originally been the starting point of her Sins in the City trilogy, and I have to say that I would have liked to have seen what a full length novel focusing on these two characters would have been like. It's definitely an enjoyable read and I found it compelling, but the plot was almost too straightforward. I would have liked to have seen how they could have been woven into a more complex universe of characters and events.
Grade: B
The story focuses on Gilbert Lawless, the illegitimate biracial son of a Lord who became a pornographic book seller and author after he was cast out of his family following his father's death. After the cousin who inherited the estate from his father also dies, his relatives invite him back to request he dispose of his cousin's extensive pornography collection. Meanwhile, Vikram, an old friend from school who Gil hasn't seen since he had to leave suddenly when his father died, is searching for clues about the disappearance of a young Indian man. He shows up at Gil's bookstore looking for help finding the photographer who took a particular picture. Friendship and romance is rekindled after many years as they go on an adventure together to track down the young man.
I read on the author's blog that a version of this story had originally been the starting point of her Sins in the City trilogy, and I have to say that I would have liked to have seen what a full length novel focusing on these two characters would have been like. It's definitely an enjoyable read and I found it compelling, but the plot was almost too straightforward. I would have liked to have seen how they could have been woven into a more complex universe of characters and events.
Grade: B
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