Review of “Precipice” by Robert Harris: The PM and the Socialite

Robert Harris’s background in journalism shines through clearly in his books. The novels are remarkably varied, ranging from ancient Rome in his Cicero trilogy to high finance in 2011’s The Fear Index. He has taken readers through an alternative history of the second world war with Fatherland and the pursuit of Charles II’s death warrant signatories in Act of Oblivion. Harris is a writer invigorated by his engagement with hidden or occluded facts, requiring a journalistic instinct to uncover.

Precipice is set in the summer of 1914, described as “that improbably glorious summer” before the great war reshaped the world. Harris gained access to an archive of letters, telegrams, and documents from the Bonham-Carter family, many appearing for the first time in this novel. Using these documents, he has crafted a stunning narrative centered around a covert love affair.

We first encounter the Honourable Venetia Stanley, daughter of Lord and Lady Sheffield, against the backdrop of impending tragedy. She mingles with a louche and aristocratic group known as the Coterie, infamous for their cynicism and excess. Although she avoids a Thames cruise where one member, Sir Denis Anson, drowns, Venetia is preoccupied with her romantic involvement with the 61-year-old Liberal prime minister, Herbert Henry Asquith.

Similar to Act of Oblivion, Harris keeps the historical framework intact while introducing a detective character to navigate the storyline. Here, policeman Paul Deemer is initially tasked with investigating the drowning on the pleasure cruise. Later, he is promoted to Special Branch to probe the leaking of secret documents—sensitive telegrams found scattered around the home counties.

Harris gives life to Venetia through her imagined letters to Asquith

Asquith’s letters to Venetia were penned amid intense political turmoil, with Ireland on the verge of revolution and war looming. This context makes the letters’ contents even more shocking, blending the longings of a lovesick teenager with startling revelations about government affairs. Venetia’s letters to Asquith are lost, prompting Harris to creatively fill the void. He animates Venetia through her imagined letters to Asquith, portraying her as a bright, unconventional young woman striving to break free from her aristocratic constraints.

The novel grapples with why Venetia chose to pursue a relationship with the much older, florid Asquith. “She liked him for his cleverness, his fame, and power which he wore lightly,” Harris notes. “She also enjoyed the thrill of it—the secrecy, the illicitness, the risk.” Asquith understands that to keep her interested, he must share increasingly tantalizing information. As war erupts and political strategies come into play, we observe Asquith’s explosive revelations through detective Paul Deemer’s perspective. Suspicion eventually falls on Venetia’s German-speaking maid, Edith, tightening the net around Asquith himself.

This is a story about love and power, depicting an ascent from a “dour, Northern nonconformist” background to the highest office. Interestingly, Harris doesn’t criticize the older man for what modern perspectives might see as a predatory relationship with a younger woman. Instead, Asquith is portrayed with tenderness and sympathy, as is his hard-edged yet vulnerable wife, Margot. It is Venetia’s character that transforms Precipice from a good novel into a great one. As the horrors of the trenches unfold, she feels compelled to contribute to the war effort, questioning her relationship with an increasingly desperate and lovesick prime minister. At a time when many ponder the effects of aging on global leaders, the ending feels especially poignant and moving.

• Precipice by Robert Harris is published by Cornerstone (£22).

Source: The Guardian