Things are Not What They Seem
The overarching theme that unifies and connects the events and characters in the novel is all about the deceptive appearance of things. This theme is aggressively initiated in the opening scene of the novel which essentially a series of robust paragraphs about Kate Woodcroft engaging in a strangely structured striptease consisting of removing the formal clothing of her work in the judiciary and transforming into the more feminine “me I am at heart” rather than the persona she presents in the courtroom. From that opening imagery, the novel will pursue this theme of things not being what they seem throughout in various different ways.
The Privilege of Privilege
The story operates within a sphere of high-level influence and power. Not the very tip of the iceberg, but definitely out of murky depths below where privilege has no impact. Privilege is like the warmth of the sun; the water may still be freezing, but it’s not quite as unendurable. Since this is a courtroom drama, obviously it means someone got caught in a situation that could be serious, but when the punishment brings the issue of privilege into the mix, the real issue at hand is not the process but the punishment. As is: will the guilty party be punished or will that consequence fall hard upon the innocent.
History’s the Reason
The post-punk band Gang of Four once opined “History’s the reason I’m washed up.” All of England is steeped in history, of course, but perhaps none more so than Oxford. And like most places where historical tradition runs so deeply, there is strong tendency to resist change and evolution and many on the wrong side of privilege are doomed from birth to be subjugated to the whims of those otherwise blessed. The driving forces at work in the narrative stretch back through a history constructed on a solid foundation of entitlement, misogyny, patriarchy and the worst one of all: “that’s just the way things are.” More so than any other obstruction to progress, the idea of accepting things intuitively known to be wrong because it’s always been the right thing to do is insidious, often in such a subtle way that people remain oblivious to their complicity.
