The Gifts by Liz Hyder

Synopsis

In an age defined by men, it will take something extraordinary to show four women who they truly are . . .

October 1840. A young woman staggers alone through a forest in Shropshire as a huge pair of impossible wings rip themselves from her shoulders.

Meanwhile, when rumours of a ‘fallen angel’ cause a frenzy across London, a surgeon desperate for fame and fortune finds himself in the grips of a dangerous obsession, one that will place the women he seeks in the most terrible danger . . .

Review
The Gifts is the first novel for adults from Liz Hyder, author of the Young Adult Novel Bearmouth. Set in the mid nineteenth century this is very much a novel about women, how they are treated by society and by men in what is a patriarchal society. Etta finds herself in the forest in pain, when she realises she has miraculously grown a pair of beautiful angel wings. In London there is talk of the Angel of the Thames, pulled out of the river, and ambitious surgeon Edward Meake sees the opportunity of advancing his career, against that of his friend and rival Samuel Covell. However, Edward’s obsession takes a turn towards darkness and self absorbtion as he faces the conflict of religion versus science in an enlightened 1840.

The Gifts is written from the point of view of the five central characters. Edward is the only male narrator giving the male perspective on this story. He is an up and coming surgeon, very gifted with a bit of a god complex. He is a character I didn’t like, he was arrogant, self absorbed and I though callous. Edward’s wife Annie is also a narrator. All Annie wants is a child but after three years she is still childless, and with Edward absorbed in his work it is likely to stay that way. I really felt for Annie, being put second to her husbands ambition and not taken seriously. Mary is the female character I loved best. She lives with her uncle, a reporter and together with friend Richard Gibbs also a journalist decides to look into these rumours of women growing wings. Mary is lucky though, both her uncle and Richard let her lead the investigation, and is able to write a book review at a time when women could only write with a male pseudonym. I loved her self confidence, her sense of justice and her dogged determination to find the truth. The other female points of view are from Etta, whose life has been difficult being a woman of mixed race let a lone a woman with wings, and Natalya who has come to London from Orkney to find her cousin and start a new life.

Liz Hyder’s writing is compelling and enchanting make this such a joy to read. Her descriptive prose brought the sights and sounds of nineteenth century London to life, including the not so fragrant smells. In juxtoposition, there is the beauty of the countryside that was home to Etta; the flora and fauna, the clean air and the peacefulness. As I mentioned previously Liz Hyder shines a light on the plight of women during this period of history and their lack of freedom to be themselves. I was shocked and fascinated at how these women, from very different backgrounds were treated in society. They were accused of hysteria or of being difficult when expressing concerns or not conforming to a certain view, and their lives were ruled by their husbands, fathers or brothers. Through Etta we also learn about racism as that time. Etta is seen as exotic because of the colour of her skin, people feel they have the right to touch her skin and hair without asking and she loses her home after her brother inherits their father’s home. My only bug bear was the shortness of the chapters and that they constantly changed characters. I felt that it jarred a bit, not giving me much time to get to know each character before it jumped to the next. This is however a small thing set against the brilliance of this book.

In conclusion, I found The Gift was a wonderful mix of historical fiction and magical realism. The characters were full of life, interesting and beautifully drawn. I loved the idea of these women growing wings both literally and metaphorically, giving them a chance to free themselves from the bondage of men. Beautifully written this is a truely magical read in every sense.

I would like to thank Zaffre Books and Tracy Fenton from Compulsive Readers for my copy of The Gifts in return for my honest review.