The Library Thief

The book is set in 1896 in Manchester, England.^[1] Florence Granger is the only daughter of a bookbinder, but after her father catches her having sexual intercourse, he throws her out of their home. However, she intercepts a letter from Lord Belfield, who wanted her father's help restoring his collection of rare books at Rose Hall. Granger convinces Lord Belfield to let her complete the commission instead, and stays at Rose Hall while slowly working through the restoration.^[2][3]

At Rose Hall, Granger finds Lord Belfield grieving over the recent death of his wife, Lady Persephone. The lady's sister-in-law was very close to her and remains in bed mourning, while Sibyl, a Black ladies' maid who was always with the lady, is missing. Lady Persephone's brother-in-law, Chester, is an angry and harsh man. Only two servants remain in the house, and they are hiding secrets.^[1] After Granger finds Lady Persephone's journal, uncovered after a house break-in, she becomes obsessed with investigating the lady's death.^[2] She eventually discovers some of the family's secrets, which include abuse and family members who are passing. While Granger remains at Rose Hall, she ponders race and gender and explores her own identity.^[4]

Shenjé was inspired to create The Library Thief after watching an interview between Oprah Winfrey, Meghan Markle, and Prince Harry. In the discussion, Markle described how she had been treated by the British press after beginning her relationship with Harry. She explained that her initial idea of the media was that it would be tough but fair, but described later experiences of racialization by the media. Shenjé interpreted these experiences as "an exceedingly British brand of misogynoir". The author "wanted to tell a story that would help explain how the British became this way. The impact that colonialism had on the lives of those in the Mother Country, at a time when riches were continuing to pour in, and they were rapaciously scrambling through Africa."^[1] She also wanted to relate this history to the present by translating modern experiences of discrimination into the book's Victorian setting.^[5]

Shenjé is a Black British trans woman, whose parents are Jamaican and Zimbabwean. She was thrown out of her home for her gender nonconformity when she was seventeen, and dealt with alcoholism, recovery, and discovering her writing career. Shenjé incorporated some aspects of her own identities and experiences in the book, saying that the work was "an affirmation of my belonging."^[1] At the same time, Shenjé felt that pressured to write autobiographical fiction by the publishing industry due to their perceptions of her identity, so she wrote this novel to reflect her own interests and agency instead.^[5] She incorporated research on the intersections between the Victorian era, the British Empire, race, slavery, gender nonconformity, and industrialization.^[1]

Shenjé took part in 2020 Twitter discussions about the publishing industry experiences of Black British authors, and found her agent, Silé Edwards, on that platform. Tilda Key was Shenjé's editor for The Library Thief.^[1]

Cora Kirk narrates the audiobook, using a variety of accents for different characters.^[6]