The Lost Apothecary
I had been seeing a lot of hype around The Lost Apothecary, a debut novel by Sarah Penner. The premise of a hidden apothecary, where women went to be supplied with poisons to rid themselves of abusive, oppressive or dangerous men in theirs lives, seemed intriguing and promising.
I was drawn into the story, as it alternated between the 1700s and “present day,” capturing the narrative of the Apothecary Nella along with curious 12-year old Eliza and Caroline, a woman in turmoil over her husband’s infidelity. I found myself pressing forward in the book, curious about where Penner was taking me. However, the writing often left me wanting.
Ultimately, I could have done without Caroline’s storyline. I felt that I was more interested in the Apothecary, Nella and Eliza. I wish that the story had stuck with developing more about Nella’s path to her secret Apothecary with its dark purpose and her relationship with Eliza. This storyline stayed too close to the surface, with Nella’s well-kept secret unravelling too suddenly and quickly. To me, Caroline’s story felt dull and unnecessary, not adding anything to the crux of the narrative.
Nella’s experience with Frederick, her hallowing tale of a love affair gone terribly wrong, was heart-wrenching and made her life path make sense. I would have loved the story to have percolated here longer, developing more of Nella’s story and her life over the past 20 years. That was the history and story I craved as I read. It felt as though the book could have benefited from lingering in the painful moments a little longer in both timelines. I loved Penner’s development of Nella’s character and her sense of duty to have these women’s names documented to preserve their existence. Her inclination that women of that time would otherwise vanish in history was sadly insightful, and I appreciated the small way she could leave that stamp on the world.
While Penner appeared to be trying to wrap up the book with a relatively neat bow, some questions remained for me. I was left wondering if Eliza’s husband had actually succumbed to “pleurisy of the chest” or if Eliza had been responsible for his young death. I also wondered if Nella had somehow survived whatever illness had been plaguing her, if Eliza had been literal in her newspaper comment of having “a special friend, one who still encourages and counsels me to this very day.”
Ultimately, “The Lost Apothecary” captured my attention, but the intrigue level did not make up for the lack of depth or breezing through difficult moments. I suspect I will read more that Penner releases in the future as her debut felt promising but, this first release left me wanting.
April 11, 2021