Birmingham 1885. Cora is a young woman with a troubled past, born in gaol, abandoned by her mother and raised in the workhouse, the cards are firmly stacked against her. As Cora struggles to make a future for herself, she is troubled by destructive memories and desperately searches for her childhood friend Alice, to help unravel her past. Approached by scientist Thomas Jerwood and offered work as Between-maid, she grudgingly accepts. But what seems like an opportunity may have a sinister outcome.
I enjoyed the gothic tang of this book. Cora is a dynamic character, angry, violent and destructive, forcing her way through life like a Victorian coal-barge, and most times her own worst enemy. We wince for her, are rooting for her, fearful for her and at times shocked and troubled by the viciousness of her character. The author holds nothing back. This was a time when scientists were beginning to explore the idea of nature versus nurture – could you tell a criminal mind by the size and shape of the skull, or did environment have something to do with our future selves. We range back and forth through time, to keep the pace going and arrive eventually at some uncomfortable revelations. Is there a future at all for Cora?
