Stepping out of my comfort zone a bit; I decided to read this on a recommendation. It’s a story about a girl at the beginning of the 1900s. She lives in Manhattan and society is all about being proper. Family names mean a lot and the way they act in public shifts the balance of power. It opens with a funeral for the main character, which is immediately concerning. Then we flash backward and see how it came to that point. The intricacies of high society living are explored in such a dynamic way that I came to realize what a ridiculous charade it all was. It’s all about hiding your flaws under a mask of composure and grace. Anyone that acts differently is ostracized or ignored, while participants parade around their falsehoods, hiding their true feelings. It’s dramatic and enthralling.

Here’s a little more context without spoiling everything. Elizabeth, the eldest daughter of her family at seventeen, needs to marry a rich man because their family is on the brink of poverty and her mother won’t have that. Luckily the father of an eligible bachelor wants his son to marry someone that will ground him, because he’s somewhat of a harlot in his own right, and it looks bad on his family name. The dad tells his son, Henry, he has to marry Elizabeth, so he begrudgingly proposes to her and she says yes so her mother and sister won’t fall into poverty. The thing is, Elizabeth loves someone else (whom another person loves), at least two other girls want Henry, which he only feels for one of them. With Elizabeth’s demise looming over the story, the events really hit hard. She’s in an impossible situation and wants to do right, but she’s not sure what right even is. The other perspectives really showcase the harm in hiding true feelings from others out of propriety because a simple conversation would truly resolve most of their issues. While this is a trope nowadays, the use of it here feels faithful to the era of society it depicts. It really shows how any perceived imperfection or weakness is preyed upon, cementing the necessity of the decorum.

The high society drama on display here is more profound than I expected. Every character is so different in their view of the world, but they all play their roles for the most part because rebelliousness leads to ostracization. Their problems are their own making, so it’s enjoyable to see them suffer. It sounds messed up, but it’s like watching celebrities argue about petty things. If you like watching reality tv or crave complex character drama, this story will hook you.