The Featherbed

Susan Merskey is freelance writer in London, Ontario.

When Anna and Sadie discover the diaries of their mother, Rebecca, in
the days following her death, they learn that her life was far more
complex than either of them knew. She was a garment worker in early
1900s New York, the reluctant wife in an arranged marriage to an ailing
and abusive husband, and the improbable friend of a pregnant prostitute.
But the diaries reveal more than just surprising details about
Rebecca’s life: they also point to a family secret, raising questions
about Sadie’s true parentage.

This gripping family saga moves smoothly between the generations and
the locations, from New York’s Lower East Side to the stately homes of
Toronto’s Annex district. The author has done his research carefully.
He gives us good descriptions of life in the Lower East Side in the
early 20th century—the grinding poverty, the sweat shops and arranged
marriages, the growing awareness of women’s suffrage and other
contemporary issues. One particularly graphic section describes the
search for the bodies of those who died following a gas leak in a
crowded tenement building.

There are some unexpected twists and turns as the plot unfolds. The
mystery surrounding Sadie’s true parentage leads to the discussion of
questions that might be ahead of their time, especially given the fact
that when Sadie herself becomes pregnant, her father disowns her
completely. Miller also raises issues of abuse and cruelty that might
not have been described so freely early in the 20th century, although
they could certainly have existed.

Miller has published articles on culture and politics in Fuse Magazine
and Xtra! The Featherbed is his first novel.