The House Girl by Tara Conklin

[ashnance]

An attempt at paralleling the lives of a house slave and a budding lawyer, The House Girl follows Josephine in the past and Lina in the present in their efforts to create lives they are happy living. Josephine, a house slave in antebellum Virginia who has tried escape in the past, battles with her love of art shared with her mistress and her desire to be a free woman. At the ripe old age of sixteen, Josephine shows more determination, class, and strength than any child should ever be expected to possess.

Lina, a new lawyer for a top notch law firm in New York City, strives to impress the unyielding partner she works under while still clinging onto the wispy concept of family. Lina is a more complex on the surface that Josephine; however, this is purposeful. As the present day character, the reader is allowed to get to know her as she gets to know herself. Josephine, the character surrounded by mystery and unattainable desires, is more difficult to understand. Which mirrors the way she fits into the story.

When Lina is tasked with working one of the firm’s biggest cases, a slave reparations lawsuit, she is suddenly thrown back into the world of Josephine. The reader learns much about Josephine before Lina has the chance to; however, Lina does catch up at a point in the book – which ultimately makes the reading more exciting. Rather than anticipating what Lina will find, the reader is waiting on baited breath, as is Lina, to find the next clue.

As a lover of historical fiction and a recent graduate of law school, I was very excited about this book. Unfortunately, I found it to be a bit disappointing. Lina’s character in particular had so many facets, so many lines of story going on, that they weren’t all unveiled enough. There were some pieces that were left unanswered, others whose discussions felt shallow.

My biggest issue with the book was the fact that it was premised on two women finding themselves, creating a live worth living, thereby paralleling the two. A slave who not only has attempted escape in the past but is taking steps towards making a better life for herself is in no way comparable to a lawyer in New York City. Yes, both women had worthy struggles. But to me, it feels disingenuous to try to compare the struggles and even the victories encountered by slaves to those experienced by lawyers.

On a more positive note, Conklin does do a fabulous job making the characters seem relatable and likeable. Neither is perfect, and to give heroines a dose of humanity is often difficult. Despite taking issue with the underlying purpose and premise of the book, it was certainly written in a way that kept me wanting to read more.