The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie

Unless some sweetness at the bottom lie,

Who cares for all the crinkling of the pie?

William King, "The Art of Cookery" (1708)

I added my name to the waiting list for "The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie" at #72. By the time it came in at the Sequoya Branch Library, I no longer remembered where I'd heard about the book or why I ordered it on-line from the regional library system. Luckily, I decided I must have had a good reason and, thus, I should just dig in and get reading.

"Sweetness" is a quirky, charming and slightly macabre first novel by Alan Bradley, featuring amateur sleuth, Flavia de Luce. Don't let the fact that Flavia is only eleven years old keep you away; she is a fully realized character in a book full of them. The book could be set in the 1890s or the 1920s; in fact, it's the 1950s. But it feels like the 1930s and I mentally kept picturing Flavia as drawn by the late Edward Gorey; it's that kind of a book. 

"Sweetness" reminded me of Kate Summerscale's "The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher," in that it features a house that is as unique as its odd inhabitants. There's also masses of obscure information about stamp collecting as well as philately, the study of stamps; also lots of 19th century science, chemistry in particular; along with plenty of unfamiliar words, like prestidigitation. In a book that casually mentions Capability Brown, Darwin and Thomas Jefferson, plenty of secondary learning by the reader occurs along with unraveling the mystery.

Our heroine, Flavia, is saved from loneliness and boredom with the discovery of an ancestor's chemistry library and laboratory. She becomes a student of the subject, rejoicing in her "newfound knowledge of what could be extracted so easily from nature. I was a student of poison," Flavia declares. Though she is not the poisoner in this murder mystery, she uses her scientific knowledge to repay her sisters for their sibling torments. Nothing fatal, but all three girls get quite nasty at times. 

The 1840 Penny Black stamp with red Maltese Cross cancellation.

All of that however, is merely a subtext to the main story which revolves around stolen stamps. They're historic, highly valuable and definitely worth committing murder to obtain. The problem is that it looks like Flavia's reclusive, stamp-collecting father, Colonel de Luce, is the murderer. I've personally always appreciated stamps from an artist's perspective, but Bradley offers an absolutely loving description of stamp collecting. The famed "Penny Black" British stamp is at the heart of the story — albeit, with a lot of poetic license. This is a fictional story after all.

Flavia is a child who is wise and observant beyond her years. She's surrounded by death, decay and — as in Jacqueline Winspear's  Maisie Dobbs' mysteries — damaged veterans of war. 

"Father was a military man, and military men lived with death; lived for death; lived on death. To a professional soldier, oddly enough, death was life. Even I knew that."

"The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie" is an enthralling mystery. The kind you can't put down and race through in a day and a night, unable to stop, unhappy to reach the end. Bradley plans to write more Flavia mysteries. Whether he can continue to create such deep, dark and delightful tales is uncertain; but I'm hoping the answer is yes.

PHOTO SOURCE UNKNOWN

The Penny Black stamp is so widely known, inside and outside of stamp-collecting circles, that a number of "black" flowers have been named in its honor. Nemophila menziesii 'Penny Black' (above) is an annual that can be grown from seed.

Comments

[Mr. McGregor's Daughter]

I'm putting my name on the waiting list for this book at my library right now. Garden Rant also recommended this book, and it sounds like my kind of read.

[LINDA from EACH LITTLE WORLD]

I thought Amy at GR emphasized the child poisoner concept a bit much. But then again, poison is Amy's subject. "Sweetness" was a great read; hope you like it.

[Inkslinger]

What a great review . . . this book sounds fascinating and fun. Another one heading directly onto my must-read list (goodness, that list is getting awfully lengthy)!

[LINDA from EACH LITTLE WORLD]

The must-read list is always longer than time allows. But it's too much fun compiling them and imagining I will actually read all the books I want to.