The Hangman in the Mirror

Playwright Cayley's debut novel is a tense slow burning story, skillfully constructed around a true historical event. Set in poverty and disease-ridden Montreal in 1751, the story centers on the life of Fran%C3%A7oise Laurent who, after being arrested at age 16 for theft, comes to learn that her only hope for survival lies in her own words: "Words, it seemed, were power, even for those with nothing in the world." When Fran%C3%A7oise's parents die of measles, she seizes the opportunity for a life as a maid to the wife of an affluent fur trader, where she is not reduced to stealing and begging to survive. But a moment of weakness leads to her pocketing her mistress's gloves, and resentment among her fellow servants results in her hasty imprisonment. Fran%C3%A7oise's fierce, observant, and insightful qualities are well-depicted through her lyrical and deliberate narration%E2%80%94notably in her relationship with moody Madame Pommereau, and in the love that unexpectedly develops between Fran%C3%A7oise and another prisoner. Perhaps most memorable of all is Cayley's remarkably rich and haunting setting. Ages 12%E2%80%93up. (Nov.)