The cover got me to request this book from the library in the first place. Once I found out New Zealand author Deborah Challinor wrote Black Silk and Sympathy, I knew I needed to read it and do it quickly! What better concoction can you make up? Kiwi author, a historical fiction novel centred around undertakings and funerals, and Sydney in the late 1800s, where traditions had yet to be broken and a woman’s possibilities were few and far between.

The immersion into colonial Sydney, Australia is intense. First, we have the heat and dust of summer – dry, itchy and unpleasant – which sets the scene pretty well for the start of Tatty’s job as assistant undertaker. As the months go by, her skills and interests develop, and her aptitude for the hard work of undertaking begins to really shine through, we get the muddy end of it. We have Titus trying to hold her down and cheat her of a wage by marrying her, we have the continued corner-cutting and high prices of services that Tatty argues to have reduced or dropped outright and Titus refusing to do so. This is just the start of it, as more uncomfortable, dirty, messy situations unfold and Tatty must do what she knows isn’t always the right or legal thing, but feels she must do to protect and care for those closest to her.

There’s a quote from later in the novel (I won’t mention the context as it is a spoiler) where Tatty says, and I’m paraphrasing here, that she has gotten used to the smells and disgusting things about being an undertaker, with only one smell here and there that gets to her, but she will never get used to the grief and misery and pain people feel during those times. I see this as a reflection of her character; Tatty is strong, people-orientated and willing to do anything for those around her. She will put herself in dangerous situations if it means helping others, and she will do anything she can to help others because, at the end of the day, she sees the suffering people go through daily and wants to do anything to make the process of death and grieving easier on them. While at times I found her to be a little reckless or perhaps naive, overall I think Tatty is a well-rounded character with flaws, strengths, thoughts and feelings, and who makes bad decisions from time to time, but for the good of the people. These qualities make her an interesting protagonist and separate her from the wholly good female protagonists we see in historical fiction like Black Silk and Sympathy

I highly encourage you to pick this up or add it to your TBR lists, if not for a quick afternoon read, then for an enlightening visit to a very different Sydney than you’re used to. Deborah Challinor has done a magnificent job at tackling such a novel and bringing to life a character who has a bit of a dangerous streak in them. Black Silk and Sympathy has that gothic touch of macabre you love to read in the colder seasons, and with autumn coming up from you all in the Northern Hemisphere, it is not one to omit from the list. The cover is simply too gorgeous to pass up.