AffinityAffinity
Score Modern
What it's about
Margaret Prior, an upper-class woman recovering from a suicide attempt, begins charity visits to the women's ward of Millbank, Victorian London's grimmest prison, and grows fascinated by an enigmatic spiritualist inmate, Selina Dawes.
Why it's worth reading
It's on the Guardian's list of 1,000 novels everyone must read.
You'll love it if you liked
Fingersmith
The Night Watch
RebeccaGood to know
It's a Victorian gothic.
By the numbers
- Readers17 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics30 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Bestseller13 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
- #452 of the 504 fantasy books we rank
- #1519 of the 1,647 modern books we rank
- #2843 of the 3,056 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
Gripping
More by Sarah Waters
If you like this, read next
Gideon the Ninth
Piranesi
All Systems Red
The Green Mile
Promises in Death
House of LeavesExplore the best-of lists
All 47 best-of lists →
Fantasy booksTop 25 · 504 ranked
Modern booksTop 25 · 1,647 ranked
Books of the 1990sTop 25 · 305 ranked
Mysteries and thrillersTop 25 · 623 ranked
Literary novelsTop 25 · 325 ranked
Pulitzer Prize-winning novelsTop 25 · 63 ranked
Memoirs and biographiesTop 25 · 290 ranked
Science fiction booksTop 25 · 333 rankedQuick answers
Is Affinity worth reading?
Yes. It's on the Guardian's list of 1,000 novels everyone must read. It ranks #2,843 of the 3,056 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 56.1 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is Affinity about?
Margaret Prior, an upper-class woman recovering from a suicide attempt, begins charity visits to the women's ward of Millbank, Victorian London's grimmest prison, and grows fascinated by an enigmatic spiritualist inmate, Selina Dawes.
How long does it take to read Affinity?
About 9 hours (366 pages), or about 3 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after Affinity?
If you liked it, try Fingersmith by Sarah Waters, The Night Watch by Sarah Waters or Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier.