After the success of their previous novels, namely Witchmark which won them the World Fantasy Award in 2019, C.L. Polk returns to send readers into a fantastical, mysterious version of Chicago in their newest release, Even Though I Knew the End. In this intriguing period piece, we follow Helen, an augur that is living on borrowed time after selling her soul to save her brother from losing his life. She’s offered one final job that will return her soul to her and give her a chance to grow old with the woman she loves, Edith. Helen accepts and begins an intense, three-day chase around Chicago in order to discover the identity of the White City Vampire and solve the mystery of a string of murders associated with them.
Even Though I Knew the End is a fantastic novella that combines mystery and intrigue with humour along with a wonderfully written sapphic romance at the heart of it all. Although I’m cautious of sapphic period pieces due to most of them ending in heartache and angst, Even Though I Knew the End does an exceptional job at focusing the conflict and drama on other aspects, rather than making the entire story about how Helen and Edith will have to hide themselves or be ashamed of each other.
The novella dips its toes into these areas here and there, with many scenes between the two indicating that they are terrified of being caught together—it’s the 1940s after all—and do have moments where they have to play up a platonic act, such as sitting in a diner and not being able to explicitly hold hands without suspicion. However, I found that despite those issues that they dealt with, the main mystery and conflict at the center of the story kept me hooked to the point that I wasn’t bothered as much by that. Helen and Edith’s relationship is shown explicitly to the readers, and Helen’s entire motivation surrounding the White City Vampire is linked to her love for Edith, cementing their relationship as the key to the story. We know that these two really love each other and that Helen would do anything for the woman she loves. We sit with these two in some vulnerable moments, some silly ones, some emotional ones, and also some not-so-PG-13-ones (with cutaways). With simple, yet beautiful writing, we understand the bond that these two share and immediately root for Helen and her relationship with Edith. Through this bond, Helen’s motivations are relatable to us as readers, and the author successfully creates a likable protagonist that we want to follow through her intense journey.
The characterization and dynamics between Helen and other characters are all major strong points within the novella for me. For one, her strained relationship with her brother Ted is written through a complex lens that demonstrates the bond between siblings that never truly dies, but also shows the impact of religion on their relationship. Ted was set to die from a horrible accident, but due to his status within the Brotherhood of the Compass—a religious group of High Magicians that take on fantastical cases around Chicago—he was pre-determined to go to Heaven once he died and was fully prepared to do so. However, Helen made a deal with the devil (literally) and sold her soul in order to save her brother’s. Despite being a secondary character, Ted brings an interesting layer to the novella as he’s conflicted about what Helen did for him because his religion would describe her actions as a sin and a mistake, even though it brought him back to life. This rocky part to their relationship is a unique theme to tackle, since you would expect Ted to be grateful and happy to still be alive, but it shows the impact of religion within the novella and how people amongst the Brotherhood value that chance to be let into Heaven, even if it means they’ll be gone from the world. Still, Helen could never say goodbye to her only brother and claims that despite all the hatred she feels from him, she would do it all over again. It builds on Helen’s character throughout the novella and becomes a source of heartache for both her and the reader that kept me interested the whole way through, hoping that she would get a breakthrough eventually.
Another entertaining dynamic that was very well written was Helen and the angel Haraniel. I won’t spoil too much on their role in the story, but for a good while, they have a significant stake in the events that play out. Their interactions with Helen were written comedically at times, and definitely had me laughing, but also drove portions of the story that amped up the intensity really well.
Another aspect that I thoroughly enjoyed were the settings that were chosen for the book. The backdrop of 1940s Chicago was an amazing choice and allowed for a wonderful staging ground for the gritty, dark, detective noir vibe that Polk was trying to get across, while also incorporating the unique and interesting perspective of a Chicago with warlocks, High Magicians, and supernatural beings. There was a commitment to the language of the time as well, with Helen really sinking into that hard-boiled detective aesthetic, using words like “doll” and phrases like “what a dish” to describe a beautiful woman. However, what I loved most about the use of this aesthetic was the different perspective of the detective being a woman—and a sapphic woman at that. With other detective novels I’ve read in the past, it’s almost always a man at the helm, and the language can end up veering into objectification or dialogue that suggests the women are too inferior to understand anything or that they’re over-the-top with their emotions all the time. Polk subverts these tropes and themes and makes Helen into a certified badass detective—intelligent, beautiful, and determined—that is also generally respectful and appreciative of the women around her. As a result, the other women are not made to feel inferior to her. As well, they are not only propped up for their beauty, but also their own intelligence and cunning wits in certain scenes and situations, such as when Edith aided Helen with the photos that she takes in the darkroom of Helen’s place.
Overall, Even Though I Knew the End weaves a compelling mystery into a mix of comedy and passionate sapphic love that made it difficult to put the novella down. I truly wanted to know what was happening to Chicago with the string of murders, and I genuinely wanted a happy ending for Edith and Helen, arguably the core of the book. It was a mystery that got me thinking throughout, and even getting towards the end, I still wasn’t entirely sure who was behind everything. Then the grand finale—intense, exciting, anxiety-inducing—was one that felt earned and one that made all the sense in the world, keeping in line with Helen’s character and how compassionate, devoted, and loving she truly is.
With all of this in mind, I highly recommend Even Though I Knew the End. If you love mysteries, detective novels—without the misogynistic male protagonists —and sapphic love, it might just be the thing you’re looking for to breeze through one of these chilly, snowy days. You can find the novella online through Amazon Kindle, Indigo, and at Tor.com, and of course, you can purchase it in stores physically too! If you take a chance on it, I sincerely hope you enjoy it.