Woman Wants Mail Delivery Issue Addressed

Alfred Fredrickson

By JEFF DEAN Times Leader Correspondent
 Sunday, February 25, 2001 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 1G 





By day, 15-year-old Gustine is a potter's assistant. By night, she is a
prostitute. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Somehow even worse, both day and night Gustine lives her life under the
mysterious gaze of the old woman, called ``The Eye,'' who has been hired by
her pimp to follow her everywhere. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; It is Gustine's dark story that forms the basis of Sheri Holman's
historical novel, ``The Dress Lodger,'' one of two books that will be featured
in the TLC Book Club with the Tudor Book Shop and Cafe in May. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Gustine lives in the industrial London of 1831, a town embroiled in a
cholera epidemic that has everyone in a panic. The reason Gustine's pimp is
having her followed is because he owns the stunning - and expensive - blue
dress she peddles herself in. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Ironically, it is Gustine's dress that attracts Henry Chiver, a
once-successful young surgeon. He recently fled Edinburgh after being
implicated in the crimes of the infamous grave-robbing/anatomist duo of Burke
and Hare. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Chiver has come to London to resurrect his own medical career, but realizes
that to further his research he will need dead bodies to dissect.
Unfortunately for Chiver, the practice of operating on dead bodies is still
illegal, and the law that will eventually make it legal is only slowly working
through Parliament. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Enter the poverty-stricken Gustine, whose child suffers from a bizarre
malady of just the sort to make Chiver famous again. Together, they come to a
grizzly agreement. Chiver will treat Gustine's child if Gustine provides him
with a steady supply of dead bodies. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 As one of two TLC featured artists appearing together, Holman will be
reading and signing copies of her book on March 14. Until then, the Tudor Book
Shop and Cafe is offering a 20 percent discount on ``The Dress Lodger'' and
any other TLC book. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Several area restaurants are also offering discounts to customers who come
on Monday nights to discuss TLC featured books. Those restaurants are
Allanti's, Bistro Bistro and Cafe.com in Kingston, Ollie's in Edwardsville and
the Overbrook Restaurant in Dallas Township. The Tudor Book Shop and Cafe
extends the same offer on other nights of the week. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Many local libraries are also arranging TLC book discussion groups. If
yours is not, we encourage individuals to organize their own. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 As always, readers are encouraged to send us their thoughts on ``The Dress
Lodger'' or ``Conspiracy of Paper,'' so that we can use them on the next TLC
book page. E-mail comments to bookclub@leader.net, fax to 829-5537, or mail to
Times Leader, 15 N. Main St., Wilkes-Barre, PA 18711. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
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'the Dress Lodger'