That Inevitable Victorian Thing - E. K. Johnston

Victoria-Margaret is the crown princess of the empire, a direct descendent of Victoria I, the queen who changed the course of history two centuries earlier. The imperial practice of genetically arranged matchmaking will soon guide Margaret into a politically advantageous marriage like her mother before her, but before she does her duty, she'll have one summer incognito in a far corner of empire. In Toronto, she meets Helena Marcus, daughter of one of the empire's greatest placement geneticists, and August Callaghan, the heir apparent to a powerful shipping firm currently besieged by American pirates. In a summer of high-society debutante balls, politically charged tea parties, and romantic country dances, Margaret, Helena, and August discover they share an unusual bond and maybe a one in a million chance to have what they want and to change the world in the process —just like the first Queen Victoria.

I adore E. K. Johnston. She can write, too, dammit! If you haven't read Exit, Pursued by a Bear, get on it right now! I love how she is able to span multiple genres and writing styles, from fantasy, gritty realism, alternative history, etc. This particular book is, though I'm saying alternative history, is really an alternative future in which the British Empire never fell and the United States never rose to power.*

Like a true Victorian tale, this one starts off seemingly proper, with cracks appearing under the surface slowly and steadily. These cracks appear not only within the characters and their interactions, but also in the history that is slowly revealed throughout the course of the book. Even though Johnston is writing fiction, there are a lot of cues taken from real history. What I like is that she notes the troubling moments relating to race and indigenous relations in Canadian history, not glossing over them for the sake of a slick future.

Though some of the ending is wrapped up with relative ease, the complexity of the story up until that moment is handled quite skillfully. I also want to mention the inclusion of an intersex character, which isn't something we see a lot of in YA (or any literature for that matter.) I love that although it creates dramatic situations within the narrative, the discovery is not part of a huge revelatory moment that draws out for a long time. There is little social consequence, too, which is a HUGE relief! How nice to see an intersex character come out and not end up getting assaulted or psychologically tormented for the rest of the book!

I think there is a lot to love here. Fans of Victorian literature with appreciate the turns of phrase and the discussions of etiquette and manners that characters are supposed to abide by in the inevitable high society situations (what would a Victorian novel be without a bunch of big events, balls, social gatherings, etc?) This book bill definitely hit the right note with Johnston's fans, and particularly with Canadians who finally get a chance to see America be second place for once! Just kidding! (sort of...)

Recommended

*Note: This is apparently an issue for some American readers who don't like seeing Canada in a position of power!

(This review is from an Advance Reading Copy - Out October 2017)