Back Cover Blurb of The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner:
A forgotten history. A secret network of women. A legacy of poison and revenge. Welcome to The Lost Apothecary….
Hidden in the depths of 18th-century London, a secret apothecary shop caters to an unusual kind of clientele. Women across the city whisper of a mysterious figure named Nella who sells well-disguised poisons to use against the oppressive men in their lives. But the apothecary’s fate is jeopardized when her newest patron, a precocious 12-year-old, makes a fatal mistake, sparking a string of consequences that echo through the centuries.
Meanwhile in present-day London, aspiring historian Caroline Parcewell spends her tenth wedding anniversary alone, running from her own demons. When she stumbles upon a clue to the unsolved apothecary murders that haunted London 200 years ago, her life collides with the apothecary’s in a stunning twist of fate – and not everyone will survive.
With crackling suspense, unforgettable characters, and searing insight, The Lost Apothecary is a subversive and intoxicating debut novel of secrets, vengeance, and the remarkable ways women can save each other despite the barrier of time.
“I realized my grief was richer and more nuanced than what lay on the surface. This was about more than the burden of the apothecary. More than James’ infidelity. Intermingled in the mess was another subtler secret that James and I had hid from each other for years.
We were happy, yet unfulfilled. It was possible, I understood now, to be both at the same time. I was happy with the stability of working for my family yet unfulfilled by my job and burdened by the things I hadn’t pursued. I was happy with our desire to someday have children yet unfulfilled by my achievements apart from family life. How had I only just learned that happiness and fulfillment were entirely distinct things?”
― Sarah Penner, The Lost Apothecary
If this quote that I selected above strikes you as an searing insight, then this book is for you. You will love it in an unqualified way. I definitely enjoyed this book, but I felt the 18th century part of the story was stronger than the present day half. First the good, because I really enjoyed getting absorbed in this book. The concept is interesting- uncovering women who, centuries ago, helped other women kill the men in her life when they had no other options, when you need some perspective on your modern day marriage. I love London, so I enjoyed the now and then setting. The parallel timeline was well-executed and my relative privilege as a modern day woman was something I appreciated in a fresh way throughout the book.
Part of me felt critical of modern day timeline. Caroline was disappointed that her history degree did not immediately lead to some glamorous unnamed history job, ungrateful for her steady income in what she now sees as a less-than-exciting position in her family’s business, and seemed unrealistic about the amount of effort and tenacity required to get or keep meaningful life goals like career or marriage. Her cheating husband was weirdly worse. I did love Caroline’s new found librarian friend – my favorite character in the modern timeline and perhaps the book, as she was competent and a good friend right from the beginning.
I found this book to be a strange mix of reminding us how much progress woman have made in the last couple centuries and women obsessed with whether or not they were or could get pregnant and how procreating was in conflict with progressing careers – perhaps an indicator that we have further to go. Perhaps I was hoping that Caroline would at some point appreciate her relative privilege of options like divorce and starting over, but despite being obsessed with the Apothecary killer mystery, she never seemed to directly contrast her situation with the happenings of the other timeline.
Still, I love the idea and execution of a story that frames the world that we live in today as a product of thousands of long forgotten interactions, relics of which may be buried under our feet if we have time and reason to look. I loved the pacing of pulling me through two stories at once. And I love London, which felt like one of the characters in this book.