Summary

In a dazzling act of literary license, the novelist and poet Jill Dawson has transformed the sensational true story of Britain's infamous condemned adulteress into a dramatic novel of passion, murder, and scandal, as seductive as it is shocking. One night in London in 1922, a clerk named Percy Thompson is stabbed to death as he walks home from the theater. The spectacular case that follows captures the imagination of an entire nation, as Percy's wife, Edith, and her young lover, Frederick Bywaters, are imprisoned, summarily tried, and hanged for murder, even as a petition to spare their lives receives more than one million signatures. Stylish, tantalizing, "with descriptions of the sex act from a woman's viewpoint [that] are both lyrical and sublime" (Daily Mail), FRED & EDIE is a hauntingly authentic portrait of a woman whose passio ultimately leads to her destruction. Reminiscent of both Lady Chatterley and Emma Bovary, Jill Dawson's Edie falls into the category of the unforgettable.

Author Biography

Jill Dawson is an award-winning poet and the editor of several anthologies, including The Virago Book of Love Letters. She has published two previous novels, Tricks of the Light and Magpie. She was the British Council Fellow at Amherst College in 1997 and is currently the Royal Literary Fund Fellow at the University of East Anglia. She lives with her family in Cambridgeshire, near London.

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Excerpts

1 Widow's Story in Ilford Mystery Quite Happy Together and No Quarrel . . . I Did Not See Anybody About at the Time 'I heard him call out "Oh!" and he fell against me . . . We had no quarrel on the way; we were quite happy together . . . I did not see anybody about at the time.'In these words Edith Thompson (27), widow of the stabbed Ilford shipping clerk, told the police the story of her husband's death. Her statement was read at Stratford court yesterday, when she and Frederick Bywaters, the 20-year-old ship's steward, were remanded on the charge of murder. Mrs Thompson, said the police, made other statements, and Bywaters also made a statement, but none of these were put in yesterday's hearing. A large crowd had gathered around the police court in the hope of seeing the couple, but they were brought from Ilford in a cab, and manoeuvred into court before the waiting people knew of their arrival. Woman's Covered Face Bywaters, who entered the court first, is a tall young man of striking appearance. A plain clothes officer stood between him and the woman, who was helped into court by a woman attendant. Mrs Thompson was wearing the clothes in which she went to the theatre on the night of the tragedy. When she entered the dock she covered her face with the deep fur collar of her coat until the magistrate asked if there was anything the matter with her face. She was requested to put the fur collar down, was provided with a chair, and demanded a glass of water. During the hearing she sat with her limbs trembling and hands clutching at her garments. Divisional Detective-Inspector Hall stated that when he saw Mrs Thompson on Wednesday morning he said to her, 'I understand you were with your husband early this morning in Belgrave Road and I am satisfied that he was assaulted and stabbed several times.'Mrs Thompson then made this statement: 'We came along Belgrave Road and just past the corner of Kensington-gardens I heard him call out "Oh!" and he fell up against me. I put out my arms to save him, and found blood which I thought was coming from his mouth. I tried to hold him up. He staggered several yards towards Kensington-gardens, and then fell against the wall and slid down. 'He did not speak to me, and I cannot say if I spoke to him. I found his clothing wet with blood. He never moved after he fell . . . 'I ran across the road for the doctor and appealed to a lady and gentleman passing. The doctor told me my husband was dead. Just before he fell down I was walking on the right-hand side of the pavement nearest the wall. 'We were side by side . . . My husband and I were talking about going to a dance.'The Inspector added that Mrs Thompson appeared to be very agitated at the time. He took possession of Bywaters'overcoat. Mrs Thompson had practically to be carried out of court. Before Bywaters left the dock he asked if he might have legal assistance, and was told the police would give him every help and facility. Dodging the Crowd By a ruse the police succeeded in getting the man and woman away from the building without attracting the attention of the crowd. The inquest on the dead man was opened at Ilford Town Hall. Only evidence of identity was taken. The Daily Sketch, Saturday 7th October, 1922 Sunday 8th October, 1922 Darlint Fred, Here I am. The room is small, as you might expect, but on another matter, the matter of the light, there is more than you might imagine. In fact, it was light that woke me this morning; weak slivers of October light from the oddly shaped window. Today is the official end of British summer time. Now that I have said