I adored C.L. Polk’s Even Though I Knew the End, a sapphic noir novella set in an urban fantasy version of 1941 Chicago. It opens strongly, unwraps the mystery as a relationship drama unfolds, and includes some breathtaking prose along the way. I’m completely unsurprised that it won the Nebula Award and was nominated for numerous others.
Before reading this, I had really enjoyed Polk’s Kingston Cycle, which started with the novel Witchmark. That was set in a secondary world, although it bore strong resemblances to Edwardian England (with added magic). So when I saw Polk on the new books shelf at the library, I grabbed it. And when I saw that ETIKtE featured Helen, a female private detective hunting a serial killer, doubly on the clock due to her deal with a devil expiring soon, and when I saw that lovely cover illustration by Mark Smith, featuring a woman in a trenchcoat and fedora kissing a woman in a dress, with their faces obscured by a cloud of white birds (doves?), I was excited to check it out. Wow, it not only lived up to my expectations, it exceeded them!
It’s unclear to me whether this is an alternative Chicago, or a secret history (the difference being that in a secret history, the speculative aspect has always existed in our own universe and humanity just isn’t generally aware of it). I was a little surprised to find after looking it up that the novella is set in 1941, since there’s no hint of World War II; however, many Americans were so insular that the war hardly impacted their lives at all until the U.S. entered it in December that year, after Pearl Harbor. In noir Chicago, anyway, there’s little difference between the 1930s (the period I’d assumed) and 1941.
Regardless of that, I really enjoyed the worldbuilding here, from all the Art Deco aspects of architecture and furnishings, to hair and clothing styles, to the car Helen drives, to the radio production job offered to Helen’s lover, Edith, and more. And although I’ve only been to Chicago once in winter, what I felt then really drives home this paragraph in Chapter 2 for me:
I made my way back to State and Washington without a single tear. The cold seeped through my coat to wrap around my heart, and I let it push my self far from the part of me that wanted to sink to my knees and weep my heartbreak over the brother who didn’t want anything to do with me, to rage at the irony of my brother coming back to my life three days before I was destined to leave it. The wind froze my eyelashes; I walked as fast as I dared with ice underfoot.
It doesn’t get much more noir than a novella where the detective is working under a death-and-damnation sentence. Helen had sold her soul for her brother’s sake, or for the sake of not being alone, but not for any sordid motive of money or success; however, those in the know condemn her for this act anyway, and she keeps her history and upcoming doom close to the vest.
This includes keeping the secret from Edith. It turns out that Edith has been keeping a major secret of her own, though, and when secrets are revealed, neither harbors any resentment.
I really love the relationship between Helen and Edith, despite the secrecy. They’re open about their emotions and make allowances for each other regarding shortcomings such as tardiness, they balance their strengths and weaknesses to work as an effective team, and mostly respect each other’s moral values.
Speaking of moral values, I should mention that although the world of noir Chicago is homophobic, and Helen and Edith have a date in a secret lesbian bar, a religious figure in the book with authority to speak about the matter says that God is fine with that kind of love.
Although there are a lot of scenes I’d like to discuss in detail, and I’ve given away a few moments from fairly early in the book, I won’t spoil what happens with the mystery of the serial killer. Suffice it to say that there were a few unexpected twists – one plot point reminded me strongly (and positively!) of a line in the finale of the second season of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” – and that the solving of the mystery both elevates and deepens the worldbuilding. I was not just satisfied but elated by the resolutions of the mystery and of the relationship. Highly recommended!
Disclaimers: None
Content warnings: Homophobia, sexism, bloody murder scenes, violence, demonology
Comparisons: D.O.A. (1950 movie), A Grave Talent by Laurie R. King
Buy Even Though I Knew the End by C.L. Polk here, or via your favorite independent bookseller, or wherever you prefer, or check it out from a library!
