Book Review: "Original Sins" by Peg Kingman; One Woman Redeems Another Out of Slavery

 by Minnie Apolis 

 

Peg Kingman's latest novel is a tale of one independent heroine's venture into the deep, muddy waters of the philosophy of slavery, as she attempts to redeem her long-lost rescuer's daughter out of slavery. The heroine is Grace MacDonald Pollocke, a Philadelphian portrait artist whose husband is a merchant marine. Grace is an educated and high-minded native Scot whose actions can determine the fortunes of many other characters in this novel.

Along the way, readers are regaled with the advent of the daguerrotype, adventures chemistry, how to identify works by the popular portraitist Gilbert Stuart, the usefulness of having a 'free paper' in one's possession if one is a negro, how to raise silk worms, and many other earmarks of the pre-Civil War era.

Mrs. Pollocke's old friend, Annibaddh Lyngdoh, turns up suddenly after a gap of 18 years, with her two sons and supplies for introducing a new improved silk worm and fodder. At least, her cover story is that she wants to introduce an improved variety of silk worm and mulberry in order to rescue a foundering American silk industry.

But Grace uncovers Annibaddh's real motive, and that is to recover 'something' she left behind 18 years ago when she seized an opportunity to declare her freedom. What else would any woman risk her life and liberty for, but a child? It turns out that Annibaddh had left behind a toddler when ordered to accompany a MacDonald on a trip to the British Isles; this MacDonald was planning to offer to make Grace the ward of the American branch of the family. Grace was virtually held hostage by this MacDonald, but Annibaddh whisked Grace back to her stepmother, and the three of them wound up sailing together to India.

It was Annibaddh's good fortune that her masters put her in within Scotland's borders. In 1778, the Scottish Court of Sessions had declared that slavery was not recognized, in the court decision on Knight vs Wedderburn. Therefore, Annibaddh declared her freedom and escaped her masters; however, her return to Virginia put her in peril of being declared an escaped slave, and re-enslaved.
 
A good deal of suspense is built up over whether Annibaddh would be able to redeem her daughter out of slavery, or whether she would instead join her in the slave state. Much depends on whether she would actually get a fair hearing in court, where she can present this obscure matter of international law.
 
A Booklist review states the parallels between the antebellum setting and present times: “This novel thrillingly evokes a nineteenth-century America not so different from the present: a time of stunning new technologies and financial collapse, when religious and racial views collided with avowed principles of morality and law.” 

In Grace's case, the advent of daguerrotypes threatened her with the distinct possibility of financial collapse, when a photo may be had in minutes for maybe five dollars, while her painstaking portraits cost the sitter thirty-five dollars with rather more of an investment in time by both artist and sitter. Another economic collapse has already occurred in the mulberry market, and also in many goods imported from Canton.

We are all too aware of the influence of the religious debate on current events; sitting through some fundamentalist arguments that slavery is part of God's plan may be asking a bit much of modern readers, however. There are not too many, I feel, who will sit through the pages where Grace is harangued by a prominent preacher. Grace cuts short the discussion, however; good for her.



Also good for her is the fact that she is nosy, and discovers some interesting data in old ledgers related to the MacDonald plantation. Not only was the Virginia branch of the family stained by the fact of holding slaves, it also stooped to embezzlement of the trust held for Grace by her uncle.



The novel is a pretty engrossing read, with just enough historical and legal education of the reader to make the plot intelligible and effective. The characters are all well-rounded and believable. Kingman does not stoop to making her villains over-the-top crooks, nor does she make her heroine an impossibly good saint. It is much more difficult to make more ordinary folks into compelling reading material. This is high praise in my book, and I hope in yours.



“Original Sins: A Novel of Slavery & Freedom,” by Peg Kingman, W.W. Norton and Company, New York and London, 2010, about 430 pages if one may judge correctly from an advance reading copy. www.pegkingman.com/original_sins.html