I just heard that the divine
Sarah Waters has a
new novel coming out in the spring. I've been meaning to post something here about her fiction as an example of what wonders a politically minded writer can do -- she clued us in to what she was about in that scene toward the end of her marvelous first novel
Tipping the Velvet where the main character meets Eleanor Marx at a protest rally in Victorian London -- but I haven't had time to do her justice. Instead, for now, a confession. A few years ago when she was in New York and taking part in a reading at Cooper Union, I arrived before the event began and saw her standing outside talking. Some crazed groupie/stalker persona took me over and I burst into her circle loudly babbling, "You have singlehandedly been the saviour of lesbian literature!" Startled and no doubt a little scared, she graciously thanked me and was hustled away by her entourage.
Just this past weekend my lover Teresa and I watched a
movie version of Waters' second novel Affinity. The film was pretty good. Captured the mood well. I love all Waters' work but
Affinity is my favorite. That said, I have never come across a sexier line in any book by her or anyone else than this one in
Fingersmith:
Oh you pearl! You pearl!
Now comes another reason to look forward to spring.
