Felony is a modern historical novel based on both (1) the rumor of Claire Claremont’s letters from Shelley, and how a man ingratiates himself in her household to steal the papers from her (the inspiration for the Aspern Papers) and (2) Henry James creation of the story itself. A very complex novel, you should definitely read The Aspern Papers first, to get a better sense of the storyline. Henry James’ self obsession is made overt by Tennant, and his personality shows through in the same way it does in his own works. The question of art and life is made distinct, as he chooses to “sacrifice” his personal life for the sake of his art. She raises the question of just how much of himself he puts into his characters, or what he sees in them that he sees in himself.

This take on Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde was phenomenal. While Stevenson’s novel is a novel of ideas, this gives shape to these ideas in the world of women. It questions so many of our principles. Topics such as rape, the role of MPs, poverty are all addressed and tied together. It is written from many perspectives: the editor, Jean Hastie’s Journal, Mara’s videotape…It’s hard to find, but definitely one of my choices for a must read. I hated it as much as I liked it, and I say this because I could not pin my opinion down. Every time I would try to give a definite conclusion, it would slip out from underneath me. Between Stevenson and Tennant, my pick is Tennant.