|
|
|
|
|
When you imagine the turn of the last century, there’s a good chance that you think of a pretty reserved—maybe even stuffy—time in history. Maybe you picture women in hats and uncomfortable dresses and men in suits and top hats. But Opium and Absinthe by author Lydia Kang offers a different perspective on turn of the century life.
The story takes place in New York City in 1899. Tillie Pembroke is just recovering from a horseback riding injury when her beloved sister, Lucy, is found murdered—bloodless with two holes in her neck. Though her mother and grandmother don’t want to talk about Lucy’s death, Tillie loves to read and research, and her quest to bring her sister’s killer to justice brings her to Bram Stoker’s scandalously popular new novel, Dracula. And, through a haze of morphine to dull the pain, Tillie and an enthusiastic newsie try to determine whether a vampire is hunting New Yorkers.
In order to get out of her home and away from the watchful eye of her grandmother, who rules the family with an iron fist, Tillie manages to arrange a nightly rendezvous between her maid and the night watchman, which provides her with regular opportunities to sneak out into the city streets at midnight.
The author paints a fascinating portrait of the New York City of 1899—and the world that Tillie visits late into the night is nothing like the one in which she’s been raised. The Pembrokes’ world is one of expensive dress makers and posh dinner parties, where families make wise matches for their children. It’s a world where decorum is expected and individual dreams don’t really matter. But the world outside the family’s mansion is very different: one of food and laughter and noisy gatherings—but also of poverty, where children work long hours on the streets just to survive.
The setting offers an intriguing backdrop for a twisting mystery, as Tillie and her new friends search through Stoker’s Dracula—and the streets of New York—for clues that will point them to a killer, who may or may not be undead.
The mix of history, medicine, and the supernatural makes Opium and Absinthe a captivating read. The mystery will definitely keep you guessing—and, in the process, it might just teach you some things that you might not expect about this time in our history.
Listen to the review on Shelf Discovery:
|
|
|
|
