THE PAYING GUESTS: SARAH WATERS

I had mixed feeling about this novel, at times tired of it, anxious to move on and find out what happened, especially towards the end.  The book, however, is wonderfully written, Waters reminding me some of a 19th century novelist like Jane Austen, style wise.

The book is set in London, in 1922.  Francis Wray lives in a large home with her mother, a decision she made after her father died, leaving her mother almost destitute.  Both of her brothers died in the war so Francis and her mother, to make ends meet, decide to rent out part of the upstairs, so they may keep their house.  A young couple, Lillian and Leonard Barber, are excited to get our of Lillian's mother's house and quickly take the rooms.  It's difficult at first for the Wray's, to have boarders, to have come down in their world, but for the Barber's, it's exciting.  Leonard's not exactly the most doting husband, and as a result, Francis and Lillian begin a friendship which develops into one more intimate.  Lillian, earlier in her life, had a relationship with another women but left her to help her mother.  Their forbidden love is eventually discovered by Leonard who, in a rage, grabs Francis and begins to push her out of their rooms.  Lillian, instinctively, picks up an object, hits Leonard on the head, harder than she intended, killing him.  Thus, the novel really begins, as the rest deals with their attempts to hide their actions, which begin with their dragging him downstairs, into the out doors, hoping to make it look like a incidental beating.

Needless to say, this event drives the two apart, Francis thinking that Lillian actually may have planned it, Lillian distraught over the loss of her husband, her lover, Lillian, and the move back to her mother's house.  We are mostly in the mind of Francis, as she agonizes over what they should do, whether to admit the truth or try to hide it.  They wait to see what happens, thinking no one will be blamed.  Then, when the police come up with a suspect, they once again wonder whether to admit the truth but decide to wait to see if he is indicted, which takes another forty or fifty pages.  When this young man is put on trail, they wait to see if he is convicted, another 50 pages.  I admit to reading faster and faster, as I wanted to see what they eventually ended up doing, admitting to the crime, or keeping quiet if the young man was acquitted.  And then what?  Would they live happily ever after or would Lillian and perhaps Francis go to jail.  I won't spoil it for you.  I am not sure I would recommend this book though I did stick with it.  Lovely written, a bit long winded for my taste.