A Tapestry of Light by Kimberly Duffy
Calcutta, 1886.
Ottilie Russell is adrift between two cultures, British and Indian, belonging to both and neither. To support her little brother, Thaddeus, and her grandmother, she relies upon her skills in beetle-wing embroidery that have been passed down to her through generations of Indian women.
When a stranger appears with the news that Thaddeus is now Baron Sunderson and must travel to England to take his place as a nobleman, Ottilie is shattered by the secrets that come to light. Despite her growing friendship with Everett Scott, friend to Ottilie’s English grandmother and aunt, she refuses to give up her brother. Then tragedy strikes, and she is forced to make a decision that will take Thaddeus far from death and herself far from home.
But betrayal and loss lurk in England, too, and soon Ottilie must fight to ensure Thaddeus doesn’t forget who he is, as well as find a way to stitch a place for herself in this foreign land.
About the author.
Kimberly Duffy is a Long Island native currently living in southwest Ohio, via six months in India. When she’s not homeschooling her four kids, she writes historical fiction that takes her readers back in time and across oceans. She loves trips that require a passport, recipe books, and practising kissing scenes with her husband of twenty years. He doesn’t mind. You can find her at www.kimberlyduffy.com.
Buy Links
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Short: https://amzn.to/3z9yANW
An example of beetle wing embroidery from the period
Review
’A Tapestry of Light’ was a delight to read, it brought India to life, it highlighted social injustices of the period and wove a fantastic story in the two world of India and England.
Ottilie Russel is Eurasian which means she doesn’t fit into either society in India. She isn’t white enough for the British and isn’t Indian enough for the Indians. She has recently lost her mother and now has to earn enough money to support her brother and Nani who live in a small house which a long term servant. To support her family she embroiders beetle wings to clothes, bags and shoes for the wealthy British elite. But even that isn’t enough to provide enough food for them. When a man arrives at her doorstep suggesting that her younger brother is actually a Baron, Ottilie doesn’t know what to think. However, she does know she isn’t sending her brother to England. But there are secrets hiding in her family that she has to face up and deal with.
First of all Kimberly’s writing brought India back to life for me. I have travelled extensively around India but have never been to Calcutta, but I have been to Varanasi and the descriptions of that city are evocative and on point. As a 9 year I was overwhelmed. Death was everywhere. The ghats and the river scenes brought back memories I didn’t know I had. We hired a boat at sunrise as well and watched the ghats come to life and slowly flowed past the pyres, Sadhus and people receiving blessings. It was certainly the most disconcerting experience I had in India but I grew to appreciate it as I grow older.
Secondly, it was clear that the historical aspects were well researched. It was only recently I grew to know about the Eurasian population of India. I would have liked to have seen Ottilie being able to rely more on that section of society as from what I have read they seem to be a tightly knitted group of people. However, that probably didn't fit the narrative of the story.
I adored Ottilie and her determination to look after her family. Whether, that constituted her blood relations or people she worked with. I loved that the social injustice was included in the English section of the book. I enjoyed that Ottilie was determined to keep her Indians customs throughout the book as so much of India is becoming westernised and of course that all started with the Raj but has increasingly become an issue as the world becomes homogeneous.
This was a wonderful piece of historical fiction that allowed precious memories to be recalled. Please do let me know if you read it.
