Synopses & Reviews
Inspired by the life of Julia Margaret Cameron,
Afterimage is the bold and provocative story of Annie Phelan, a maid in the home of Isabel and Eldon Dashell. Isabel is experimenting with the new medium of photography, and is inspired by Annie, who becomes her muse. The two form a close relationship, but when Eldon devises his own plans for the young maid, Annie nearly loses herself, until disaster reveals her power over the Dashells work and hearts.
Review
“Accomplished...Humphreys delves boldly into the tumultuous Victorian era, bringing to life an aristocratic couple ravaged by the intensity of their aesthetic obsessions.” —John Freeman,
The Washington Post Book World“Delicate and incandescent...[Humphreys] descriptions bristle with nuance, and scenes are pared down to their bare essence.” —Sarah Coleman, San Francisco Chronicle
“Lushly suspenseful and tender...[Afterimage] demands close attention.” —Donna Seaman, Chicago Tribune
“Lyrical...this beautifully written novel edges toward saying something profound about the relationships between art and life, men and women, the powerful and the disempowered.” —The Economist
About the Author
Helen Humphreys is the author of four collections of poetry and a previous novel,
Leaving Earth, which won the Toronto Book Award and was a New York Times Notable Book. She lives in Kingston, Ontario.