So, I know those interested demand some answers. Answers as to why I am seemingly so obsessed with this scene. Especially that look on Sue’s (Tae-Ri) face! I know you want to know why so serious, posting three caps of the close-up of Sue’s face, twice! Actually, make that thrice, counting this time as well!

Well, you are in luck. I couldn’t resist and started yesterday to read Fingersmith again. I am currently on page 101. This scene takes place on page 96-97. Well, as far as Sue’s POV is concerned. I mean, the good stuff mostly happens in Part 2 – Maud’s POV of the story so really, even if I tell you about Sue’s view, it is half a spoiler. Nay, it ‘s a quarter spoiler because Sue was just so innocent that I don’t think anyone reading this part for the first time felt anything out of the ordinary. Until they reached Maud’s side of the story. One doesn’t not truly appreciate everything in Sue’s view until we get to Maud.

And so I figured, I might as well explain why, what it is about this scene that so warrantees nine whole caps of the same second or so of video.

If you don’t want to get quarter spoiled, stop here.

First, let’s read the actual text of this scene in the book, according to Sue…

And then there came the morning when we learned he was coming back.It was an ordinary morning, except that Maud had woken and rubbed her face, and winced. – Perhaps that was what they call, a premonition. I only thought that later, though. At the time, I only saw her chafing her cheek and said, ‘What’s the matter?’ She moved her tongue. ‘I have a tooth, I think,’ she said, ‘with a point that cuts me.’ ‘Let me see,’ I said. I took her to the window and she stood with her face in my hands and let me feel about her gum. I found the pointed tooth almost at once. ‘Well, that is sharper-‘ I began. ‘Than a Serpent’s tooth, Sue?’ she said. ‘Than a needle, I was going to say, miss,’ I answered. I went to her sewing-box and brought out a thimble. A silver thimble, to match the flying scissors. Maud stroked her jaw. ‘Do you know of anyone who was bitten by a snake, Sue?’ she asked me. What could you say? Her mind ran to things like that. Perhaps it was the country living. I said I didn’t. She looked at me, then opened her mouth again and I put the thimble on my finger and rubbed at the pointed tooth until the point was taken off. I had seen Mrs Sucksby do it many times, with infants. -Of course, infants rather wriggle about. Maud stood very still, her pink lips parted, her face put back, her eyes at first closed then open and gazing at me, her cheek with a flush upon it. Her throat lifted and sunk, as she swallowed. My hand grew wet, from the damp of her breaths. I rubbed, then felt with my thumb. She swallowed again. Her eyelids fluttered, and she caught my eye. And as she did, there came a knock upon the door; and we both jumped. I stepped away. It was one of the parlourmaids. She had a letter on a tray. ‘For Miss Maud,’ she said, with a curtsey. I looked at the hand, and knew at once that it must be Gentleman’s. My heart gave a dip. So did Maud’s, I think.

How I wish dear Readers, how I wish I could add Maud’s point of view! But no, I leave that up to thee to enjoy yourselves. For now, we shall stick with Sue’s POV.

Sue, Susan Trinder. Our actual main character of this story. She is a very complex character. She is naïve and yet at the same time she is not! She grew up in hard-core London, so you know she’s seen some shit! And yet, she was the most innocent character in this book!

Maud, despite spending more than half her life in the country-side, confined to her Uncle’s house, never leaving unless taking a walk outside. She was closed off from the world, and yet she was not at all innocent! Her innocence was taken away by her Uncle’s books. Well, you could say that she was innocent in that she did not know the real world, we see this when she finally gets to London for the first time in her life. She is like all the stereotypical Ojou-samas you see in anime, that act so socially awkward with commoners.

This innocence of Sue’s is what mostly make people think that the early parts of the story are boring, I too am guilty as charged. I learned my lesson very well, believe you me. As soon as I got to Maud’s side pf the story, I stopped right then and there. Turned back to page one and re-read the whole Sue chapter with so much care and savour, you would think I was eating ice cream for the first time.

You can see Sue’s innocence in this excerpt alone. Let’s then go through it and pick out the important bits…

And then there came the morning when we learned he was coming back.It was an ordinary morning, except that Maud had woken and rubbed her face, and winced. – Perhaps that was what they call, a premonition.

They are talking about RFR (Richard Fuckin Rivers) here. Like, read that bit again. Maud is wincing in pain, and Sue thinks it a premonition. This, in reference to RFR! Talk about the exact opposite of romantic. Remember, this is being told by Sue in the past tense. The story has already passed so she knows everything. I have to admit, the first time reading, not having gotten to Maud’s part, this threw me off. Because just like Sue, I too thought Maud was hot for Gentleman. So pain being a premonition made all kinds of sense that wasn’t.

She moved her tongue. ‘I have a tooth, I think,’ she said, ‘with a point that cuts me.’
‘Let me see,’ I said.
I took her to the window and she stood with her face in my hands and let me feel about her gum. I found the pointed tooth almost at once.

Ha! I knew it! My memory didn’t fail me. I knew this scene did not happen in a bath! But now that I think about it, this is going to make it all kinds of hot. Knowing what was going through Maud’s mind, and even what we gather from this view of Sue’s – Maud sitting there, completely naked in the bath, with Sue, all but in full view of Maud…GOD!

‘Well, that is sharper-‘ I began.
‘Than a Serpent’s tooth, Sue?’ she said.
‘Than a needle, I was going to say, miss,’ I answered. I went to her sewing-box and brought out a thimble. A silver thimble, to match the flying scissors.
Maud stroked her jaw. ‘Do you know of anyone who was bitten by a snake, Sue?’ she asked me.
What could you say? Her mind ran to things like that. Perhaps it was the country living. I said I didn’t. She looked at me, then opened her mouth again and I put the thimble on my finger and rubbed at the pointed tooth until the point was taken off.

This doesn’t make sense until you get to Maud’s POV. But I am noting this to show you how innocent Sue is compared to Maud. Maud had a double meaning behind these words. She said them with purpose. But to Sue, they meant nothing. by this point, Maud was already falling. Sue on the other other, though we know that she too is almost falling, she doesn’t know it. Her innocence  is what makes everything so great.

I had seen Mrs Sucksby do it many times, with infants. -Of course, infants rather wriggle about. Maud stood very still, her pink lips parted, her face put back, her eyes at first closed then open and gazing at me, her cheek with a flush upon it. Her throat lifted and sunk, as she swallowed. My hand grew wet, from the damp of her breaths.

Oh dear sweet, sweet innocent Sue. She thinks that her hand got wet from Maud breathing on it.

Poor innocent Sue. She has no idea! Not that I blame her, I too, and I know everyone, thought the same while reading this the first time.

Until you get to Maud!

But forget about that fact, get back to the description of that scene. How intense is that!?! This was with both standing at a window, clothed (albeit in night clothes) but most definitely not in a bath, with Maud completely naked. But wait, we are not done…

Her eyelids fluttered, and she caught my eye.
And as she did, there came a knock upon the door; and we both jumped.I stepped away.

Like, can you even!! This! This right here was the very moment, the first time reading the book, that I started to see! This was the first real show of something in Sue! When Maud caught her eye, something happened there. Like I said, Sue is innocent, when it comes to matters of the heart, to be specific. And so her moments were not romantically described. That was saved for Maud’s educated self.

What you need to do as a new Reader, is to pay attention to Sue’s body reactions. She did not know what they meant, but she described them well. Her thoughts did not wander, because she was that innocent. Do not think her boring, think her innocent. This moment, when she reacted like she had been caught with her hand in a cookie jar, this moment was really telling.

Just think about it. They are at a window. She is filing Maud’s tooth. She isn’t doing anything bad. So why the reaction? Can you imagine what this is going to be like in the movie? WHEN MAUD IS NAKED!!!?!

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

This scene, dear Readers, this scene! And finally…

It was one of the parlourmaids. She had a letter on a tray. ‘For Miss Maud,’ she said, with a curtsey. I looked at the hand, and knew at once that it must be Gentleman’s. My heart gave a dip. So did Maud’s, I think.

That is to say, they were brought back down to earth AKA their hearts sank! For someone who should be feeling the exact opposite, someone who couldn’t wait for RFR to come back so she could be saved from the boring life of that place. She instead felt her heart sink at the prospect of RFR coming back, because there is a reality they were both ignoring. Not gonna spoil this but this should tell you how these two feel about RFR, to those all that are worried, in case you missed the posters I posted already – where they clearly show that RFR and the girls, especially Sue, have a very negative relationship!

It is clear that their relationship with RFR is anything but romantic. Hell, 50 pages into the book and you already knew where Sue stood with RFR.

And that’s it all. So, do you now understand why I just can’t this scene?! And what I said before still stands. Every single thing I have seen in the trailer, brings this amount of reflection from me! I think it is going to take me a day to watch this movie the first time because I am going to be stopping at every scene, shout a little in pure joy, place another, pause, repeat! Then repeat again!

This damn movie, dear Reader…