The Lost Apothecary

Nella is an apothecary living in the 1790s in London, secretly providing poisons for women who have problematic men in their lives after being cruelly treated herself. She has sworn to never harm another woman, only men. Eliza is a 12 year old girl in the same time who has just begun getting unwelcome attention from her mistress???s husband. And Caroline is an American vacationing in London in present day, having just caught her husband cheating on her. She is taking time and space to herself to reevaluate her life and relationship.

While in London, Caroline finds an old glass vial with a bear etched on it and decides to research its story and history. Her story of discovery, of both the bottle and herself, is interwoven with the tale of Nella and Eliza as they meet and form an odd friendship amidst Nella???s dangerous and forbidden occupation.

First of all: Most. Beautiful. Cover. Ever.

Some of the plot devices stretched credulity, such as how easy it ended up being for Caroline to discover the true story of this lost apothecary from one single, unlabeled glass vial. And Caroline???s attitude about some things was annoying. (She had dreams of going to college, but when she got married James didn???t want her going to Cambridge so??? she just didn???t go to college. Are there no colleges in America?) The characters??? development was enough to keep me interested though, and the plot fast paced enough that I was willing to suspend my criticisms to see what happened next. I wouldn???t necessarily categorize this book as either character or plot driven; it does a decent job of striking a balance between the two.

I deeply enjoy books that jump back and forth between past and present like this. It reminds me of the way Susanna Kearsley weaves different timelines into a narrative. And seeing the similarities and contrasts in women???s lives in the two periods was really enjoyable. All three women are in situations or lives where they have little to no power, and the story is about them finding ways to exert it or take it back.

The ending was??? well. It did feel maybe a little too convenient.
Is the lost apothecary a serial killer? Well, yes. Are we still rooting for her? Also, yes. Overall I enjoyed this book and I think it was a really solid debut novel.