Review: The Lost Apothecary

The Lost Apothecary

Sarah Penner

313 pages - 2021 - historical fiction, mystery

August 23rd, 2024 — August 24th, 2024

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I think poisons are fascinating.

I’m a chemist, and I went into chemistry for a variety of reasons. One was that I was inherently good at it, which is a rare thing to find. I’m a firm believer that if you find what you like to do, and you can keep doing it, you should absolutely keep doing it. (Fitting for this book, actually.)

Another reason I love chemistry is how it answers the questions that I’ve had about the world around me. Why are some metals magnetic? Because of the way their electrons, charged particles, can move around in the presence of a magnet. Why does ice float on water? Because of densities. Why is the sky blue? Light scattering through our atmosphere.

But a third reason was its ties to the macabre. Since I was little, I’ve been more than a bit obsessed with Halloween. This past week was the first time this year I’ve left the house wearing a jacket, and that evening I had come back with three ideas for costumes, the desire to watch a horror movie, and a package of candy corn.

Chemistry is filled with reminders of death and danger. Nearly every chemical you work with, whether it is something like dichloromethane in a lab or regular old cleaning solutions, has some sort of warning to indicate its dangers.

For a bit, while I was learning more about my interests, I was really fascinated with toxicology and forensic pathology. I thought autopsies were an enlightening way to learn about a person, not just how they died, but how they lived. (I realized, quite quickly, that I am not great with biological material, living or previously living. I didn’t even like ‘disposing of’ E. coli cells in biochemistry labs.)

Poisons fascinate me because they are all so unique. There is a great book called The Poisoner’s Handbook by Deborah Blum that details the effects of many poisons, as well as how they can be detected later. The practice of autopsying a body after death came about because it was determined that certain poisons can leave behind unique markers, like scars on your organs or even a thin crystalline layer.

All that to say, I knew that I would enjoy this book immediately, because right away there was talk of poison, mystery, and intrigue. The early parts of the book are set on my birthday, too, which was like icing on the cake. But I came to love it even more because of the reverence the book had, not just for science, but for women, especially those who are less fortunate.

I feared that this book would turn to pure magic, and have some fantastical elements that could not be explained. To my delight, though, it didn’t—it was just about science, and wisdom, and finding what had been lost.

It’s been a long time since I sat down and read a book in less than 24 hours. I would have read it in one sitting if I could have, and I nearly did. When I woke up this morning, I simply had to finish it.

Along with it being a good and gripping story, it’s one of empowerment, passion, and feminine power. There are really only three notable men in this book, and only one of them remains present; the rest of the characters are women, and fleshed-out women at that. It was refreshing, especially after reading so many books written by men. I thought the depth of the characters was phenomenal, and one of the reasons I couldn’t stop reading.

Plus, to top it off, the first page of the book is a map. Whenever I see that, I know I’m in for a treat.

Summary (Spoilers!)

In February, 1791, Nella is waiting for a woman to appear. We learn that she has inherited a small apothecary from her mother, although now she keeps it hidden away, rather than prominent and public. What was previously a store for healing tinctures has become a place where desperate women come to seek freedom.

The woman that appears, though, is actually a young girl, age 12, named Eliza. She is seeking a poison to dispose of her lady’s husband—Eliza works at the Amwell estate, writing letters that her lady dictates, as the lady’s hand trembles too much to write now. We learn that Lord Amwell has started making unwanted advances on Eliza, and she and her lady have conspired to dispose of him.

Nella gives her some eggs that have been laced with rat poison, telling her exactly how to prepare them and ensuring she has a plan. Nervous, but feeling slightly confident in the young girl, she sends her on her way with the poisoned eggs.

Meanwhile, in the present day, Caroline has made her way to London. She was not supposed to be here alone, and we learn that it was meant to be her tenth wedding anniversary trip with her husband. However, she discovered an affair that he had right before the trip, and, scorned, she decided to go alone. Caroline studied British history and literature, and wanted to pursue her studies further, but her husband James had convinced her (with a ring) to settle down in Ohio and become a housewife and, hopefully, a mother.

Now, alone, Caroline finds herself unsure of what to do; she doesn’t want to complete the couple’s itinerary that she had planned because she doesn’t want to remember the circumstances of her trip. While walking around, she comes across a group of mudlarkers looking through the mud of the River Thames.

Tentatively, she joins them, and finds a small blue vial with no markings except for a small etching of a bear on all fours. The mudlarking guide, Bachelor Alf, isn’t sure what it is, but says Caroline should go to the library and find Gaynor in Maps; she might be able to help.

Caroline does so, and learns that Gaynor is Alf’s daughter. She doesn’t know the history of the vial, either, but she starts doing some digging into where the vial might have come from.

Eliza is able to poison the lord without a hitch. She goes back to Nella’s shop, interested in learning more. Nella tries to shoo her away, but the young girl happens to be there at the same time as another customer—this time a wealthy lady, Lady Clarence. Nella had created a poisonous brew over the last day for her, and the lady has come to collect it.

However, Nella learns that the lady intends to use it on a woman, not a man. Nella, furious, throws the powder into the fire, destroying it. She says that her shop is meant to be a safe haven for women, and her tinctures will never be used to harm another woman. The lady, though, threatens to expose Nella and all her secrets unless she creates another batch before sunset tomorrow. Eliza, realizing that this exposure would affect her too—her name is in Nella’s intensive register—says that they have to make another batch.

The two of them go out to collect beetles, and Nella starts teaching Eliza about the creation of her concoctions. She also ends up telling Eliza more about her history and why she does what she does.

Nella explains that her mother ran a shop that sold healing remedies. Her mother died when Nella was young, and she inherited the shop. In her grieving, she met Frederick, who had come in for a tincture to heal his sister. Thrilled once she was cured, he came back, and he struck up a relationship with Nella.

Nella fell pregnant, and they decided to get married soon after hearing the news. However, Frederick left on a week-long journey one day, and right after he went, Nella fell ill and lost the baby. He did not return for a week, then two, then quite a long time. She took stock of her stores and realized that her motherswort—a compound known for abortifacient properties—was diminished; Frederick had laced her breakfast so she would lose the baby.

She also learns that Frederick was not in for a medicine for his sister; rather, it was his wife. She found the shop, told Nella of Frederick’s deception and adulterous tendencies, and the two decided to poison him together. That was how her business began.

Nella built a wall in her mother’s shop that made it appear empty. She worked behind the wall, hidden unless someone knew she was there. She and Eliza collect beetles overnight, spend a night in a barn, and make their way back to the shop to finish their job.

Caroline continues her research and becomes nervous that the symptoms she is experiencing indicate the beginnings of a pregnancy. She also learns that James has booked a flight and is heading to London—she only has a few more hours to herself.

Caroline learns from Gaynor’s research of the possible presence of an apothecary off of Bear Alley. Thinking it cannot be a coincidence, she decides to head there that night. James arrives, though, and they fight over lunch; she’s able to go off by herself while he sleeps of jet lag.

That night, Caroline finds the location of the lost apothecary, even making her way into the hidden back room. Her phone flashlight is all she has, and its batteries are running low, but she is able to take photographs of the register and some parts of the shop before having to leave.

Lady Clarence returns to the shop and takes the poison. Nella then shoos Eliza away again, fearing that something terrible is going to happen. It does—Lady Clarence returns later, distressed, saying that she tried to poison her husband’s mistress, but he drank from her cup and her husband died instead. Nella also realizes that the vial in which the poison had been placed was one of only a few that still had the address of the shop etched into it, meaning her entire secret operation could be revealed.

At the hotel, James says he’s coming down with a cold, and they try to talk briefly. He asks if Caroline has DayQuil, and she instead offers him eucalyptus oil. She continues her studies, looking through the register, and noting that there are some poisons; she writes down some questions to research. A little while later, though, James falls incredibly ill; wanting to recover alone, Caroline goes down the street to meet Gaynor at a cafe, who shows her newspaper clippings from February 10th and 12th, 1791, about the death of Lord Clarence.

She has to rush back to the hotel, though, when James calls and says he’s not doing well at all. She finds him having vomited blood and barely conscious; she realizes that he drank the eucalyptus oil, a toxic substance, rather than using it topically. The medics come, as well as some cops; they think that she has poisoned him because her research notebook contains phrases like “amount of poisons needed to kill”.

Lady Clarence returns with the vial, but soon after, Nella learns that a maid at the estate had taken a wax print of the vial, including the bear and part of the address. The newspaper says that Lord Clarence’s death was a murder, and they are looking for the suspect; her logo has been plastered prominently on the front page.

Eliza tries to investigate, but is found suspicious at the Clarence estate. Back at the apothecary, she finds Nella cleaning and organizing. She appears to be getting ready to leave. The two of them, when exiting the shop, are greeted by police, and they start running. Nella leads them up to the closest bridge.

At the hospital, Caroline is questioned, and tries to explain the horrible coincidence. Gaynor is able to acquit her partially, but she does not know about Caroline finding the lost apothecary, so therefore cannot explain all of her research notes. James, luckily, wakes up and is stable, and he is able to say that he accidentally drank the oil, and it was all a misunderstanding. The police leave, and Caroline explains to Gaynor exactly what she had found.

In talking to James, though, she realizes that he would not have missed such a warning on the vial; she deduces that he drank the poison on purpose. He explains that he did, and says they can just go back to how they used to be in Ohio. Caroline, appalled, does not want to do that; she needs to be alone. She tells him that she intends to file for a separation.

On the bridge, Nella intends to jump, but Eliza offers her a vial of a tincture the young girl had created. A young man named Tom Pepper had given her a book of magick, and she had made a Tincture to Reverse Bad Fortune. Eliza drinks one of the vials, then jumps from the bridge herself.

The authorities think that Eliza was the killer apothecary, and leave Nella alone. The older woman goes back to the shop, writes one last ledger entry—Eliza’s tincture, ingredients unknown—and closes up shop for good. She goes to the Amwell estate, where Eliza worked, and thinks she sees Eliza’s ghost in the window.

We learn from Gaynor and Caroline’s research, though, that Eliza survived the fall; she went on to marry Tom Pepper, and they had twins before he died very young. Eliza continued to be mentored by Nella for at least some years after all these incidents occurred. Caroline discovers this because she had taken a picture of the last page of the ledger, which included Eliza Fanning’s name.

By the end of the book, Caroline has decided she wants to pursue her graduate degree at Cambridge University, possibly working on this research further; she wants to use her discoveries to create a dissertation about the lost apothecary.

Arsenic and Old Lace

I thought the weaving of this story was phenomenally done. None of the reveals felt too early or too late; nothing was vibrantly apparent, and yet all the seeds were there for every piece that was uncovered.

I was especially shocked at the “accidental poisoning” of James, and how coincidental it all seemed. A part of me was disappointed that the whole thing was resolved so quickly. However, that was turned right around at the secondary reveal that James had knowingly ingested the poison.

I also loved the characters and the care they showed for each other. Nella, despite her constant physical and emotional pain, cannot bring herself to not mentor Eliza. Eliza, in turn, immediately takes up a role of helping Nella with whatever she might need.

And I love how much power is lent to femininity. There is quite a bit of talk of periods and pregnancy, but I was happy to note that none of it was spoken of in a negative light. Eliza thinks at first that her first period is actually the consequence of poisoning Lord Amwell, as it happens the same night he dies; however, Nella teaches her that it’s normal, and natural, and even beautiful.

It’s the sort of book that really made me want to pack up and move to some alley in London, start mixing up tinctures of my own. Or even just crush something in a mortar and pestle.

I was also afraid that the book would end with Caroline and James reconciling, and maybe some sort of compromise made, but I knew that she would not get what she wanted in this scenario. She would still be stuck in Ohio, probably, and not supported by her husband of ten years. I was so glad to see that she was taking control of her life at the end of the book. It would have felt very different if she had let him back into her life. It was much more empowering this way.

As I said in the beginning, I think finding what you’re passionate about and sticking to it is so, so important. I am so lucky that I love chemistry, and that I can do it every day; there are so many people who never get that sort of fortune. Seeing Caroline pursuing her passion, and reading her excitement on the page, really encapsulated what I value so deeply. I hope you get to do what you love like that someday.

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Total pages read so far, 2024: 38

Total books read so far, 2024: 13,566

Next book: The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt