Misfortune: A Novel, by Wesley Snape

Misfortune: A Novel
by Wesley Stace

Anyone has studied anything to do with gender, sexuality and the accompanying background psychology, will find this book fascinating. At its core, it tells the story of a boy who is raised to believe he is a girl by his strange adoptive father; a reclusive member of the landed aristocracy who lost his beloved sister as a child. Since it is the 1800s and "Rose" is shielded from meeting anyone but the staff and their families, the deception is relatively easy to maintain; not least from the boy himself. As "Rose" grows up, his - or her - accepted female status is challenged, both externally and from his own reservations about his questionable identity.

Running parallel to the main theme of gender-bending are innumerable sub-plots, side-stories and extra information which, despite tying together neatly in the end, are tiring to wade through before you get there. The plot line is long and convoluted, and at times it does require considerable efforts to follow it; not to mention a relatively in-depth knowledge of Greek myths, which are referenced throughout. The characters are numerous and bear similar names to one another, so much so that I found myself keeping a book mark in one page where the main character describes his (or her) relatives, to which I constantly flicked back. It's not a short book but there is plenty of action to keep it moving along, and the thought-provoking theme is usually controversial without being patronising or forceful.

"Wesley Stace" is in fact a nom de plume for the musician John Wesley Harding, and he successfully employs his original passion, keeping songs and music constantly involved and providing a common theme. Having said this, Stace is not a particularly accomplished writer. He has a lot to learn about fluidity, style and editing - but he does weave a good yarn and presents a well-balanced argument about gender, sexuality, identity, and the effects of nature versus nurture. I wonder if, had I not studied these very subjects mere months before I stumbled across this book, I would have found it as fascinating as I did; but either way, that was the mindset in which I read the book, and for me it paid off. Sensitively handled, and with a satisfying (albeit implausibly neat) ending, I enjoyed it, although whether or not I would choose to read another book by the same author remains to be seen.