My thanks to Lovereading.co.uk for the opportunity to read this book in advance of publication.
by
Published 27 September
by Orion books
My Thoughts:
The disreputable streets of lower
Manhattan, in the latter part of the nineteenth century, are brought vividly to
life in this eagerly anticipated second novel by Ami McKay. Our narrator, throughout the story, is the eccentrically
named Moth, a girl from the slums of Chrystie Street on the lower East side. When
she is sold by her mother into servitude at the age of twelve, and after a
brief period as the maidservant to a mean and vitriolic woman, Moth is lured by
the prospect of good food and a feather bed, to the notorious ‘infant school’ brothel
of Emma Everett. However, in the
brothel, Moth exchanges one form of servitude for another, and discovers that
in the dark and squalid world of prostitution, security comes with a high price
to pay, and innocence is a commodity which is all too easily sold to the
highest bidder.
With Dickensian precision, Ami McKay has produced a compelling and
haunting novel. Her ability to invoke this dissolute period in American history
is present in every word, and her captivating description of life in lower
Manhattan literally leaps off the page. The sights, sounds and smells of a
swarming city are described in such vivid detail that it is all too easy to
imagine the grime, squalor and sheer despair of trying to survive in a world
where youth and innocence is exploited at the worst level. The novel runs along
at a tidy pace, there is no clumsiness within the narrative, and the use of
extra snippets of historical information in the form of additional inserts in
the book margins adds an interesting and informative dimension. The rich array
of characters from freak show oddities, to slum house mystics, adds a
fascinating insight into this crowded world of immorality, and yet it is the
voice of Doctor Sadie, a character Ami McKay has based on one of her own
ancestors, who lends a resonance and gravitas to this emotional story.
Without doubt, The Virgin Cure, with its charlatans and
curiosities, captures the very essence of the seamier side of 1870s New York. There
is something strangely repellent about the debauched world of the nineteenth
century prostitute, and yet Moth’s delicate simplicity, steals right into your
heart, and flutters with spirited wonder through the worst of her experiences. Overall,
The Virgin Cure is an emotional and
thought provoking read, and one that will remain with me for a very long time.
This will definitely be on my 2012 Best Reads list !
The Birth House is one of my favourite books, I can't wait to get my hands on this one. Thanks for the great review Josie xx
ReplyDeleteI loved The Birth House too Anne..this one has been worth waiting for xx
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