Title: Eye of a Rook
Author: Josephine Taylor
Published: February 2nd 2021
Publisher: Fremantle Press
Pages: 216
Genres: Fiction, Contemporary/Historical
RRP: $32.99
Rating: 4 stars
In 1860s London, Arthur sees his wife, Emily, suddenly struck down by a pain for which she can find no words, forced to endure harmful treatments and reliant on him for guidance. Meanwhile, in contemporary Perth, Alice, a writer, and her older husband, Duncan, find their marriage threatened as Alice investigates the history of hysteria, female sexuality and the treatment of the female body – her own and the bodies of those who came before.
Review:
Eye of a Rook by Perth based writer Josephine Taylor is a tough but integral read. Fusing a contemporary fiction narrative with a Victorian England based storyline has allowed this dual timeline novel to deliver a vital message. With an important focus on women’s health, gynecological misconceptions and invisibility in the field of chronic pain, Eye of a Rook is a much-needed composition.
In Eye of a Rook, we take a trip to Victorian London where me meet the Rochdales. Arthur and Emily are a married couple and Emily is struggling with a bout of chronic unexplained pain. Arthur reaches out to a physician who prescribes a rather shocking form of treatment. This radical form of treatment is issued to ease Emily’s hysteria, which is seen as the cause of this woman’s pain. Centuries later we are acquainted with Alice, a writer and respected academic is suffering in silence, struck down a mystery source of pain that she cannot find a cure for. Despite the advances in medical technology, it seems little has changed in the treatment of women’s health issues. The pressure of this undiagnosed illness impacts Alice’s life and marriage, which will alter the course of her future plans.
I admired the intent of Eye of a Rook. Josephine Taylor’s novel tackles a subject matter that is virtually unheard of and sadly lacking in terms of treatment or support. This book is an utterly devastating read that I found challenging, depressing, irritating and profound. It is a distinctive and critical piece of literature. I hope that Eye of a Rook will be distributed in a widespread manner, to be embraced by all readers – no matter their age or gender. It has a very sensitive but fundamental message to impart.
The format of Eye of a Rook is in the style of a past and present flip narrative. We are privy to the innermost thoughts and experiences of a woman living in present day times. This is exchanged with the life experiences of Emily, a woman living in Victorian times. We discover more about Emily’s life via her husband’s viewpoint of her experiences, along with letters voiced by Emily. Although the two time periods are vastly contrasted, the issues seem to be the same. It saddened me to witness such an unacceptable form of treatment given to a woman with gynecological based problems in the 1800s and again see this arise in the present. This may not come as a shock to some, but it did upset me, especially as some of these issues hit very close to home for me medically. Reading Eye of a Rook gave the me the sense of acceptance, belonging and understanding I needed in this women’s health department.
I will send a short warning to others that Eye of a Rook is a well written and highly educative read, but it may trigger some difficult feelings for some readers in terms of the medical sequences. I urge you to read the Author’s Note and Acknowledgments at the close of the book, they each provide some additional input into this challenging but honest read. It was brave of the author to present her own experiences of chronic gynecological pain in the form of an honest fictional narrative.
Eye of a Rook by Josephine Taylor was published on 2nd February 2021 by Fremantle Press. Details on how to purchase the book can be found here.
To learn more about the author of Eye of a Rook, Josephine Taylor, visit here.
*Please note that a free copy of this book was provided to me for review purposes through Beauty & Lace and Fremantle Press Australia. To read the original review on the Beauty & Lace website please visit here.
Eye of a Rook is book #23 of the 2021 Australian Women Writers Challenge
