Shades of Milk and Honey by Mary Robinette Kowal
After meeting the author at the SIWC, I took this book out of the library and began to read it. It begins in Jane Austen fashion, as a novel of manners, and we soon meet the protagonist and her sister. Jane is plain, though artistic, and the golden-haired Melody, ten years younger, is a beautiful flirt.
At first I was put off by the magic realist element. Kowal has invented a new art form for ladies and gentlemen of quality and means. Though she lacks suitors, Jane is a skilled practitioner of this art. She pulls glamour from the ether, folds, braids and manipulates it. In this way, she can create magical illusions that give an extra dimension of decor to her surroundings and thrill onlookers.
Mr. Dunkirk is the charming neighbour whom Jane admires, even though she thinks he has eyes only for Melody. Meanwhile, she befriends his sister Bess, who suffers dark moods. Having begun as a light romantic fantasy, the tale begins to darken. When first Bess and then Mr. Dunkirk confide their explosive secrets in Jane, she finds herself in a cruel dilemma.
Meanwhile, another talented glamuralist, Mr. Vincent, is exploited by Jane and Melody's snobbish neighbours to the point of exhaustion; in the middle of a glamour demonstration, he collapses from exhaustion and falls ill. Jane must think fast, but even her quick decisive action is not guaranteed to save his life.
There is also trouble between the sisters -- Melody refuses to admit to her older and more level-headed sister that she has a secret beau, and goes off in the night to meet him in the garden maze. Fearful for her sister's reputation and well-being, Jane follows, and what she learns there propels her into an immediate and drastic action that she couldn't find more distasteful.
The darker side of the society stands revealed. Middle aged women with grown children have nothing to do, and nothing to discuss but their ailments. A dishonourable man is willing to marry any woman with money to exploit her wealth. A dark secret is exposed: an honourable man has defended the woman in his care and his family's honour, but by an act of vengeful violence. More violence threatens as the tension builds.
Filled with dramatic action, the final compelling section of the book exposes the complete vulnerability of the women in this society. At the same time, it shows how our protagonist works her way through the maze of constricting social mores that govern her, and find the courage to choose happiness where she knows she can, in spite of the unconventional nature of her decision.
I almost put this book aside after a few pages, thinking it was just a light romance. Luckily, I decided to keep reading and found it was much more. Kowal pulls the reader in with the sure touch of a puppeteer (she is one, as well as being a writer).
With her imitation of Jane Austen's style, she scarcely puts a foot wrong. To top off the pleasure of reading, there are moments of delightful Austenesque comedy, such as the portrayal of Jane's father when she gets engaged. With his thumbs tucked in his waistcoat, the author tells us, he "looked far too innocent for his own good."
The book was published in 2010 by Tor. Its author is a member of Science Fiction and Fantasy writers of America, and at the time of publication was on the board of directors of that organization.