Getting your Downton Abbey fix in print: The Paying Guests

The Paying Guests, Sarah Waters

Fast Facts

• Set in 1920's London, featuring a "spinster" in her mid-twenties and her mother, forced to rent out rooms in their aristocratic home due to financial hardship
• Gets off to a slow start, followed by an addictive and unexpected middle section full of twists and turns, and a somewhat plodding, but satisfying, ending
• 576 pages
• Featured on Best of 2014 book lists by the New York Times and NPR
• Historical fiction so convincing in tone and detail that it's hard to believe it was only published last fall

My second Sarah Waters novel

I didn't remember having read anything by Sarah Waters before when I saw The Paying Guests on top 2014 book lists and added it to my Kindle shelf.  It wasn't until the protagonist, Frances, reveals her sexual past and embarks on a steamy lesbian love affair that I remembered reading Fingersmith, another popular Waters novel, with my book club a few years ago.  (Mainstream literature clearly needs more lesbian protagonists).

I didn't remember too many details of the Fingersmith plot, other than that it was historical fiction and also featured a lot of sex - but I do remember starting off thinking that I wasn't sure I liked it, and then being completely unable to put it down.  The Paying Guests sneaks up on you in much the same way.

Premise and build-up

The beginning of The Paying Guests sets up the sad fortunes of Frances and her mother, who, having lost Frances' brothers in the war and Frances' father shortly thereafter, must endure the shame of opening their home - to strangers! - of the lowly clerk working class! - for money!  There are many details involving Frances' efforts to keep up appearances in the home, cook very British-sounding meals for her mother, and adjust to the young couple, Leonard and Lillian Barber, who move in upstairs.

This starts to feel tiresome, and I nearly gave up (the way I've done with Downton Abbey, given long breaks between seasons and not having my mom nearby to binge it with.)  But a little perseverance paid off with an immensely enjoyable read, with pacing that broke into a trot and then a sprint, seemingly out of nowhere.

The Payoff

One minute you're reading about the many ways Frances cleans the floorboards, and then - with masterful build - you learn about all of the tension and drama bubbling under the dull, genteel surface.  

Secret affairs, forbidden sex, lies and intrigue, crimes of passion, mystery and mayhem - suddenly, this book has it all.

There are enough unexpected (at least, to me) turns that it would be wrong for me to provide any more detail.  But I can say that this novel is a great deal steamier and suspenseful than Downton, and draws you in completely.

Recommendation - read it!

I will admit, there were a couple of flourishes toward the end that I didn't love, including a man in a mackintosh so overused in literature that my eyes nearly rolled out of my head, and trial scenes that felt interminable.

But otherwise, The Paying Guests is massively entertaining and a nearly perfect period drama.  Waters has done a truly impressive job on the research and delivery - Frances' world felt intensely present and real, reflecting the social upheaval caused by the end of the war, and illuminating Frances' views of her own feminism and sexuality in the context of a culture unwilling to accept either.  

Though a bit on the long side, I would absolutely recommend The Paying Guests, particularly while you're trapped inside by this snowy weather.  Just set yourself up by a roaring fireplace with a cup of tea, and imagine all the characters with the faces of Ladies Violet, Mary, and Edith (the men are all just bit players, anyhow).