The Crimson Petal and the White

The Crimson Petal and the White
By Michel Faber (894 pages)
Published by Canongate Books
Bookish rating: 4

The best word to describe Crimson Petal is bawdy. The novel consists 894 pages of crude, icky, arguably perverse sex. And yet . . .  it's insanely well written.

Set in Victorian London, we meet a prostitute named Sugar. Pushed into the trade as a child by her appalling mother, she's our heroine. We root for her, even as she uses her feminine talents to seduce a thoroughly unlikable, thoroughly selfish wealthy man, William. After all, doing so is a matter of survival.

Though she cares nil for her, um, benefactor, she outsmarts him, ensuring things like clean linens and firewood by essentially playing to his ego. And so it goes for just under a thousand pages.

The narrating point of view is omniscient, entering each character's mind as the narrator wills it, even addressing the reader in a delightfully condescending tone. It works. The narration is wry, often ironic, and hopelessly crude. The end result is disturbing, heartbreaking, and often weirdly amusing. Mostly, the novel takes the reader deep into the trenches of Victorian whoredom, exposing it as nothing short of sex trafficking, child abuse, and horrifying exploitation. Voluntary in a way, yes, but every case Faber shows us stems from the hooker's powerlessness.

I read this book via Kindle during many, many, MANY 2:00 a.m. feedings of my baby girl---perhaps not the most wholesome literature for the wee hours of the morning. You know, when only those awake include whores and sleepy eyed mothers. At any rate, the novel is good. Recommended.