Review ↠ The Crimson Petal and the White by Michel Faber

[Sparrow]

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TITLE: The Crimson Petal and the White
Not a series, but there is a prequal of sorts by way of a short story collective (The Apple: Crimson Petal Stories)
AUTHOR: Michel Faber
GENRE: Historical Fiction
TAGS: Historical Fiction, England, Victorian Period, Industialization, Mental Illness, Social Class, Marriage, Prostitution, Mistresses, Women Writers
RATING (1-5): ★★★★★



For what it's worth, I don't give a five star rating lightly. It seems kind of sacred to me, and meant to be used only for books that, where I limited to one of those desert island scenarios, I couldn't live with out. So when I say this is a 5 star book, I want you to know I don't mean it's just another good book I enjoyed reading- this, in my humble opinion, is Faber's Magnum Opus. The kind of book that leaves you with the realization that, once you finish it, you might as well just pick up a magazine, because there is simply no way anything will measure up. The kind of good book that ruins reading, for you; at least until the memory of it fades a bit, and other books aren't so overshadowed by it.

The Crimson Petal & The White is multi-layered and backed up by an ensemble cast from every rung of Victorian England's social ladder. At the center is Sugar, a highly intelligent victim of circumstance, who is known as one of the most promising (albeit fictional) prostitutes to ever grace Harrison's List. She is beautifully flawed, hardened by her experiences, and determined to establish some sort of future for herself. The solution comes forth in the form of one William Rackham; Sugar's customer-come-lover. Narcissistic, pathetic, and entirely in denial about his mentally ill wife, William is heir presumptive to a sundries manufacturing business, and a would-be intellectual dandy who is often peeved by the ease with which his college mates seem to enjoy life. Rackham married Agnes, as a trophy wife of sorts, who has since descended into a world of her own that denies the existence of her and William's daughter. Agnes is kept quite clear of the world, living instead out of her bedroom, and in her head, with the care of a loyal servant; while Rackham continues to deny her illness and tries to keep it together for the sake of keeping face with the Jones next door.

Like all women of that era, Sugar knows beauty fades, and that security is a must; in Victorian England, a woman's security was undeniably tied up with a man- be it by marriage, or as a mistress. Sensing William might be malleable and fiscally sufficient enough to be that man, the underlying focus of the story revolves around Sugar's increasing efforts to ingratiate William to her, in the hope that he will eventually keep her.

There are many other characters in this tome, and each one has their own, vastly different, but just as interesting story to tell- a brother to Rackham, who is of the cloth, but secretly loves a consumptive, bluestocking, liberal woman named Emmeline Fox ; a myriad of prostitutes, pimps, madam's, and foundlings; as well as a handful of passerby's whose lives we are given a glimpse of. But at it's heart, the book is a love story about Sugar, though not between her and William, as it would seem. Faber writes people as real people; for better or worse, and no one is ever really entirely a victim, a scoundrel, or a stereotype. He can make even the most despicable person sympathetic, and the most sympathetic despicable.

Titled after Lord Tennyson "Now Sleeps the Crimson Petal"; the one thing that each character has in common is the relentless but elusive search for redemption through their idea of another, rather than the actual person; each isolated and alone by their own self-involvement.

This is not a quick read. At 900+ pages, it can be a bit intimidating to some, but I've never been deterred by a big book (frankly, books that can double as door-stoppers make me giddy). In most cases, the book doesn't really warrant that much type, but Faber delivered a highly readable, extremely engaging story that left me wanting more. It is raw and brutal; so honest and truthful, that you can almost hear the clatter of carriage and hooves, and smell the perfume of 19th century London's underbelly. Even in the presence of the book's finer society, ugliness pervades, and Faber never once gilds the lily, or trades on his principles just to make a buck on a broader prospective audience of readers- and for this, I love him all the more. But for the reader who prefers things tied up nicely, or short and sweet, this may not be the book for you.

A lot has been said about the ending, and I don't want to throw in any spoilers, so I'll just reiterate this: Faber doesn't spin silver cloud stories, but despite most people feeling that it was a less than happy ending, I thought it was perfect. Perfect, and plenty happy, for the parties involved- and left in a way that at least gave me some hope that Faber might someday return to these characters, and give them life again.

It can at times drag a little, but for me, at the finish, I would have gladly taken ten more chapters about the dull, daily going-ons of any one of these characters, b/c I fell so in love with them. Fortunately, Faber penned an epilogue/prologue of sorts, (The Apple: Crimson Petal Stories), which is a compilation of short novellas on various characters (but sadly, was not nearly long enough to satiate me).

The BBC also released a mini-series based on the book, and it was brilliant. It would have been impossible to breathe life into every character and happening from the book on screen in the space of 4 prime time hours, but overall, the job done was a deliciously good one, and worth a watch. And if you've seen the series, and are debating the book, then pick it up- you won't regret it.