Read Time:2 Minute, 4 Second
When you imagine the turn of the last century, there’s a good chance that you think of a pretty reserved—maybe even stuffy—time in history. Maybe you picture women in hats and uncomfortable dresses and men in suits and top hats. But Opium and Absinthe by author Lydia Kang offers a different perspective on turn of the century life.
The story takes place in New York City in 1899. Tillie Pembroke is just recovering from a horseback riding injury when her beloved sister, Lucy, is found murdered—bloodless with two holes in her neck. Though her mother and grandmother don’t want to talk about Lucy’s death, Tillie loves to read and research, and her quest to bring her sister’s killer to justice brings her to Bram Stoker’s scandalously popular new novel, Dracula. And, through a haze of morphine to dull the pain, Tillie and an enthusiastic newsie try to determine whether a vampire is hunting New Yorkers.
In order to get out of her home and away from the watchful eye of her grandmother, who rules the family with an iron fist, Tillie manages to arrange a nightly rendezvous between her maid and the night watchman, which provides her with regular opportunities to sneak out into the city streets at midnight.
The author paints a fascinating portrait of the New York City of 1899—and the world that Tillie visits late into the night is nothing like the one in which she’s been raised. The Pembrokes’ world is one of expensive dress makers and posh dinner parties, where families make wise matches for their children. It’s a world where decorum is expected and individual dreams don’t really matter. But the world outside the family’s mansion is very different: one of food and laughter and noisy gatherings—but also of poverty, where children work long hours on the streets just to survive.
The setting offers an intriguing backdrop for a twisting mystery, as Tillie and her new friends search through Stoker’s Dracula—and the streets of New York—for clues that will point them to a killer, who may or may not be undead.
The mix of history, medicine, and the supernatural makes Opium and Absinthe a captivating read. The mystery will definitely keep you guessing—and, in the process, it might just teach you some things that you might not expect about this time in our history.
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Kristin Dreyer Kramer has been writing in some form or another (usually when she was supposed to be doing something else) since the ripe old age of ten—when she, her cousin, and their two Cabbage Patch Dolls formed the Poo Authors’ Club. After a short career in advertising, Kristin got sick of always saying nice things about stuff that didn’t deserve it—so now she spends her days criticizing things, and she’s much happier for it.
Since creating NightsAndWeekends.com in February of 2002, Kristin has spent her life surrounded by piles and piles of books and movies—so many that her office has become a kind of entertainment obstacle course.
As if her writing and editing responsibilities for N&W.com weren’t enough to keep her out of trouble, Kristin also hosts a number of weekly radio shows: Reel Discovery, Shelf Discovery, and On the Marquee. She’s also a proud member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association (CriticsChoice.com), the Central Ohio Film Critics Association (COFCA.org), the Online Film Critics Society (OFCS.org), and the Women Film Critics Circle (WFCC.Wordpress.com).
Kristin lives in Columbus, Ohio, with her husband, Paul, and their daughter, Anna. She welcomes questions, comments, and fan mail at kdk@nightsandweekends.com.
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Kristin Dreyer Kramer has been writing in some form or another (usually when she was supposed to be doing something else) since the ripe old age of ten—when she, her cousin, and their two Cabbage Patch Dolls formed the Poo Authors’ Club. After a short career in advertising, Kristin got sick of always saying nice things about stuff that didn’t deserve it—so now she spends her days criticizing things, and she’s much happier for it.
Since creating NightsAndWeekends.com in February of 2002, Kristin has spent her life surrounded by piles and piles of books and movies—so many that her office has become a kind of entertainment obstacle course.
As if her writing and editing responsibilities for N&W.com weren’t enough to keep her out of trouble, Kristin also hosts a number of weekly radio shows: Reel Discovery, Shelf Discovery, and On the Marquee. She’s also a proud member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association (CriticsChoice.com), the Central Ohio Film Critics Association (COFCA.org), the Online Film Critics Society (OFCS.org), and the Women Film Critics Circle (WFCC.Wordpress.com).
Kristin lives in Columbus, Ohio, with her husband, Paul, and their daughter, Anna. She welcomes questions, comments, and fan mail at kdk@nightsandweekends.com.
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