The Professor and the Thief

Dr. Voth, a recently jilted professor, finds a manuscript, Confessions of the Fox, about the life of Jack Shepard, a legendary eighteenth century thief. Voth becomes obsessed with researching the life of Shepard and annotating the manuscript.

P was a young, orphan girl initially sold to a maker of tufted footstools. She escaped and teamsedup with Bess, a prostitute, who introduces her to the dark side of London. P falls madly in love with Bess and begins her transformation into Jack Shepard, a notorious thief.

Dr. Voth is also a transgender man which explains some of his obsession with Jack’s story. Voth’s story is told through footnotes to Confessions of the Fox. The footnotes start out dryly academic, but as the work progresses they become more unhinged. In addition to his work on the manuscript, Voth is caught in an academic drama where a large pharmaceutical company is trying to take over the university.

If you’re familiar with Brecht’s Three Penny Opera, you will have a head start on understanding this somewhat arcane book. The story of Jack is the centerpiece of the novel, but as Voth becomes more upset, the footnotes threaten to take over. This is not an easy format to enjoy. You’re trying to keep two story lines going, but one is told only through footnotes. I think it would have been simpler to tell the two stories in alternating chapters.

This story will appeal to you if you’re interested in eighteenth century history, transgender roles, and academia. If you’re disturbed by overt sex, curse words, and slang terms for genitalia, you may not enjoy this book.

I received this book from Net Galley for this review.