The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams
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Author: Pip Williams Publisher: South Melbourne, VIC : Affirm Press, 2020 |
Set at the height of the women's suffrage movement, and in the looming inevitability of the Great War, The Dictionary of Lost Words is a thought-provoking celebration of language and its power.
Retelling and fictionalising the efforts to assemble the first Oxford English Dictionary, the book focuses on Esme Nicoll, the young, motherless daughter of a lexicographer in the employ of James Murray, an editor for the Oxford English Dictionary.
The novel examines Victorian morals, the patriarchy, and the gatekeeping of language as Esme begins her mission of rescuing words which have been intentionally omitted or accidentally overlooked.
Set against the roiling background of political and social unrest, The Dictionary of Lost Words is full of lyrical prose and deeply fascinating characters. Based on meticulous original research into the Oxford English Dictionary's archives, this novel weaves a strong, feminist narrative about the importance of disparate voices.
For New Adults, this book's appeal is in the beautiful style, and in the connection with the protagonist. Esme is spirited, curious, and empowered - and she calls for her readers to be the same.
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