Behind the pomp of death in Victorian era
Black Silk & Sympathy by Deborah Challinor, HarperCollins, $37.99 .. .. .. .. ..
.. .. Best-selling author Deborah Challinor’s followers will be delighted she’s added another novel to her already extensive list of titles.
Those who enjoyed the New Zealand writer’s Convict Girls series will be especially happy that with Black Silk & Sympathy she returns readers to mid-19th century Sydney. It’s a time and place she captures the very essence of.
A self-confessed taphophile (defined as someone fascinated by funerals, cemeteries and death’s rituals), Challinor has turned her attention to the pomp and showmanship of death in the Victorian era.
Central character Tatiana (Tatty) breaks new ground by becoming Sydney’s first female undertaker. This follows the death of her husband, the odious Titus Crowe to whom she’d been apprenticed.
Arch rival Elias Nuttall is doing his darndest to take her down, publicly claiming Tatty’s responsible for Titus’ demise. This leads to a coronial inquest.
Cleared of any involvement, Tatty sets out to wrought her own revenge.
A tad trite perhaps, but it’s the intimate behind-the-scenes look at the funeral trade at a time when farewelling the dead was a spectacular affair, that gives this work of fiction its uniqueness.
When Tatty enters the world of dealing with the dead and bereaved, embalming is in its early stages. We learn it’s not a pretty process. Then there’s insight into the hideous practice of trading the corpses of indigenous peoples. What’s entailed is explicitly described and not for the squeamish.
But for a writer as skilled as Challinor it’s a fascinating story line adding to the realism she captures of life’s final phase.
As always Challinor’s research is impeccable.
And the good news is this is the first in a series, promising much more to come in the unique life and times of the indomitable Tatty Crowe.