Crystal J. (dorolerium) reviewed on 4/19/2013 + 212 more book reviews

In her second novel, Katherine Howe brings us back to Boston with a story that has a similar structure to that of her debut. Our main characters are in the Bostonian upper class just after the turn of the century, and on the cusp of the United States entering WWI, with segments of the story taking place a couple of decades earlier in Shanghai, as well as the last day aboard the Titanic. The story starts with Helen and Eulah enjoying a day on the ill-fated ship, oblivious to what awaits them, and then cuts to the present day of the novel: Sibyl at a séance on the anniversary of the sinking of the ship that took her mother and sister with it.

While the story does have a bit of a fantastical element to it, its mostly a look at grief, addiction, and the trappings of life during this time period. In searching for more answers about what has happened to her mother and sister, Sibyl quite accidentally discovers that she can see visions in a mystical ball of glass given to her by a medium, known as a scrying glass. One catch: she has to be high on opium to see these visions.

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