The Sunday Times has reviewed Victoria Redel’s novel, I Am You, and selected it as their Pick of the Month. They wrote:

“Gerta Pieters, the narrator of this compelling tale, enters the service of the van Oosterwiijck family in 1653 at the age of eight, disguised as a boy. Maria, the daughter of the house and a few years older than Gerta, sees through the masquerade, yet the two form a close bond. When Maria travels to Amsterdam, where she hopes to make her mark as a female painter, Gerta accompanies her as her maid. Together they fight for the recognition of Maria’s gifts as a still-life artist at a time when women cannot become members of the city’s Painters’ Guild. The two become secret lovers, and Gerta trains herself to become a skilled painter in her own right. However, as Maria’s fame grows, tensions and jealousies arise that threaten to undermine their relationship and to reveal what is better kept hidden. Victoria Redel’s fourth novel is not only a vivid evocation of 17th-century Amsterdam but also a powerful exploration of the nature of female creativity.“

I Am You by Victoria Redel is the debut novel from Firefinch Books and is available now.