Book Review: The Mistress of Nothing by Kate Pullinger
A powerful examination of human nature
The Mistress Of Nothing is a rich blend of historical romance and social examination of human nature, which is as relevant to us today The creamy pages draw you in and deposit you in the vibrantly alien landscape of 1860s Egypt.
Sitti Duff Gordon is a highly adventurous English lady whose poor health drives her to leave Esher, England, to seek the dry climate of Upper Egypt, accompanied by her maid Sally.
As we travel down the Nile to Luxor with Sally, Lady Duff Gordon, her dragoman Omar, we track Sally’s gradual, potentially perilous transformation from English to almost-Egyptian, servant to almost-equal: “I felt as far from Esher as it was possible to be; it was as though not only did I inhabit a different land, but I inhabited a different body.”
Sally’s innocence, coupled with her hunger for new experiences, makes her viewpoint particularly rich, as Kate Pullinger entices us with layers of glorious descriptions. Almost every page presents a sentence or paragraph so visual it’s almost cinematic:
“In Esher I would never have had time to sit and stare up at the blue blue sky, to pause and pinch the fragrant fading blossom from the jasmine that grew up over the garden wall, to pull a lemon from the lemon tree, rolling it between my palms to release the scent. Imagine!”
Yet Kate’s words lay the scenes out for us so compellingly we barely need to use our imaginations.
The seduction of the country is only half the story, however, as Sally and Omar grow increasingly entranced by one another. Omar’s marriage is less of an issue than Sally’s fragile status as a 30-year-old spinster maid, and when the endless languid days lull her into letting down the shields that kept her integrity intact in England, it’s clear she’s in for trouble.
Kate gently nudges us along, allowing Sally’s naivety to prevent the full horror of her situation at bay until the last possible moment, with just the occasional hint allowing the chill of realisation to descend. Quite simply, this era of class and etiquette means that Sally and Omar are utterly under Lady Duff Gordon’s power, however friendly the threesome becomes they will never be more than servants and mistress.
The book is divided into three sections: Life, Death and Afterlife, which are aptly named according, it seems, to Sally’s state of mind. While her spirit soars in section one, it becomes smothered by her lack of power in section two, as the imagery of Egypt slips away and we readers lose the miscellany of sounds, sights and even smells - shut away with Sally in disgrace at the behest of ‘My Lady’.
Thankfully, in the final part of the book Sally’s voice regains its strength, if in a rather darker tone as she accepts her mistress’s cold-hearted betrayal and transforms a lifelong loyalty into anger. “I hated her beautifully: my hatred was polished and hard and shiny and, truth be told, at times it sustained me.”
This evolution of their relationship seems to me the crucial point of the book, far more important than the love affair between Sally and Omar, reminding us that human emotions are often least understood by those who feel them, regardless of their place in society. The fact that Kate Pullinger’s fictional story was based on real events that befell real people makes this message all the more powerful.
The Mistress Of Nothing
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