The Happiest Hooker

Late, as ever, to the party when it comes to zeitgeist-type books. But since Michael Faber has a new book out, he’s been all over NPR, and I’ve been hearing about all of his books, so I figured it would be better to start with the most famous one. At least I think this one was the most famous. There was a mini-series, after all.

William Rackham is your typical layabout semi-dandy who fancies himself a misunderstood genius. He’s married to Clara, who’s looney tunes (due to a very sheltered childhood and a deep misunderstanding of female anatomy and health). William hears about the most special hooker in the semi-slums of London: Sugar. Apparently Sugar is the hooker who will do anything and everything the paying customers want – even the stuff other hookers won’t do (no matter how desperate they are). Their first encounter isn’t promising – William wets himself and passes out. But he decides he wants Sugar all to himself, so he buys her from her madam (with whom she has an interesting relationship).

He sets Sugar up in an apartment of her own, and he comes and goes as he pleases. Sugar starts feeling a little trapped in her new life – so she starts stalking William and his family (she figures out when she needs to go home to receive William). She also helps William with his business (he takes over the family business so he’ll have enough money to keep his family and his hooker). And then somehow Sugar so insinuates herself into William’s life that she moves in to the family home & becomes his daughter’s governess.

From hooker to governess. Pretty impressive.

This was my first Faber. I enjoyed his writing for the most part, and the switching of narrators kept me interested, which is good, considering the book was astoundingly long. I know people were dissatisfied with the ending, I’m not sure how I feel about it. It may not matter, though.