Blindspot by Jane Kamensky & Jill Lepore has been on my to-read list for a while, and I’m so glad I finally read it, because I loved it! Set in 1760s Boston, the novel follows Scottish painter Stewart Jameson (and his lovable Great Dane Gulliver!) and “fallen” woman Fanny Easton who disguises herself as a man by the name of Francis Weston to become Jameson “Jamie’s” painting apprentice. The plot is further set in motion by the return of Jamie’s old friend on the run, a British-raised African man named Dr. Ignatius Alexander.
At times, Blindspot reads like an 18th century novel a la Clarissa, with Jamie’s chapters referring directly to the reader. The novel also blends together articles from the Boston newspaper to offer contextual and historical details, and an epistolary narrative from Fanny’s perspectives in the letters she writes to her childhood friend Lizzie. Although written in the style of the time, Blindspot does not shy away from the scandal, taboos, and grittiness of the time. Jamie is essentially bi, falling for his apprentice whom he thinks is man, and openly admitting to the reader that he has had relationships with both men and women.
The poisoning of a local abolitionist, Samuel Bradstreet, sets into motion a murder mystery. In turn, an enslaved family who were once in the household of Fanny’s family stands accused. Jamie, Dr. Alexander, and Fanny/Weston work tirelessly to free the family, Cicero, Hannah, and Phebe, to clear their names and prove that a Samuel Bradstreet’s missing will ensure their freedom.
Blindspot is written with cleverness – I especially appreciated the witty dialogue between Jamie, Fanny, and Dr. Alexander. With such character-revealing dialogue, it was easy to become invested in their lives and the romance developing between Jamie and Fanny. Dr. Alexander is smartly written, as his character is a genius in his understanding of the world around him. Blindspot it also sexually explicit at times, which perhaps flies in the face of stereotypes of prudishness in historical fiction, but in my opinion is just very real and allows the reader to connect with characters–and people–who lived long ago and felt all the same things we did – and acted on them!
I’d really love to see this novel become a movie or mini-series!
Fun fact – not to be too spoilery, but this novel gives a nod to one of the first (?!) nudes sent by a woman to her lover.
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