#BookReview-#BookBuzz-‘The Confessions Of Frannie Langton’ by Sara Collins

Hugest of thanks to the wonderful Lovereading  and Penguin Books for my gifted copy of ‘The Confessions Of Frannie Langton; by Sara Collins

Today I am thrilled to bring you my review as a #BuzzBooks #Ambassador.

Stay tuned to the foot of the page where there is an interview with Sara about her writing process during the creation of this, her debut novel.

About the book…

They say I must be put to death for what happened to Madame, and they want me to confess. But how can I confess what I don’t believe I’ve done?

1826, and all of London is in a frenzy. Crowds gather at the gates of the Old Bailey to watch as Frannie Langton, maid to Mr and Mrs Benham, goes on trial for their murder. The testimonies against her are damning – slave, whore, seductress. And they may be the truth. But they are not the whole truth.

For the first time Frannie must tell her story. It begins with a girl learning to read on a plantation in Jamaica, and it ends in a grand house in London, where a beautiful woman waits to be freed.

But through her fevered confessions, one burning question haunts Frannie Langton: could she have murdered the only person she ever loved?

This is a stunning debut-part historical fiction, part murder mystery, part character study , ‘The Confessions…’ is all of this and so much more.

The use of the word ‘Confessions’ implies that Frannie has done something wrong, her guilt is implicit by her skin, her ethnicity and her gender, however, in this context it is used to convey her story telling narrative to her barrister, her internal narrative whilst externally refusing to utter a word, as she details how her life has ended up here.

‘Here’ is Newgate gaol, awaiting trial for murder, based on spurious allegations and rumour, flimsy evidence against which Frannie has to fight against,using  her wits. Her tale is a love letter, a plea and a history that straddles continents and throughout it, Frannie’s voice comes through clear and loud.

What is so masterful about this novel is the sense of time and place, that it can begin with a murder but you are less concerned with the whys and wherefores, than in Frannie obtaining justice.

In a world where social media does not exist, Frannie has been presumed guilty because of the colour of her skin, the public have named her in the press as ‘The Mulatto Murderess’ and her jailers read the accusations from the papers to her. She has no chance to clear her name except through the telling of her story.

Sara Collins sets the scene beautifully with an assault on all the reader’s senses of the Old Bailey in early 20th century London before whisking us to Jamaica, where Frannie lived in a house named Paradise-born into slavery, taken and given as a belonging to all sorts of people, with no apparant control over her story at all. It is meant to be wince inducing, it is supposed to be uncomfortable and pull at our colonial guilt and she succeeds wonderfully.

That the reader finds the description of humans being ‘given’ to others abhorrent is right, we should find this uncomfortable-by acknowledging this part of our history we can begin to understand, by listening to narratives and not talking about ourselves, other voices can be raised. What is so stunning to me, as a reader with little knowledge about Jamaica and slavery is that she puts you right there. Other authors might be overly descriptive in trying to convey a sense of place but Sara Collins pitches it perfectly and allows Frannie’s voice to echo loudly and clearly throughout all her experiences.

From the very first sentence to the thrilling denouement, Frannie’s journey will astound you as does her clarity of voice, the precision of her character and the strength of her will.

I would urge anyone thinking of buying a book for Easter to read this tale of love, loss and identity and find room in your heart for such an unforgettable character as Frannie Langton.

About the author…

Sara Collins is of Jamaican descent. She studied law at the London School of Economics and worked as a lawyer for seventeen years before doing a Master of Studies in Creative Writing at Cambridge University, where she was the recipient of the 2015 Michael Holroyd Prize for Creative Writing. She lives in London, England. ‘The Confessions of Frannie Langton’ is her debut novel, and was shortlisted for the Lucy Cavendish Prize.

Links-https://www.penguin.co.uk/articles/2018/oct/sara-collins-on-frannie-langton/

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