The Third Mrs. Galway

May 31, 2021
Historian Sinnott’s ambitious if uneven debut grapples with the world of abolitionism in Upstate New York during the 1830s. The story unfolds in Utica in 1835 when two freedom seekers, Imari, an escaped enslaved pregnant woman, and her son, Joe, wander onto property belonging to entrepreneur Augustin Galway. Utica is the site of raging debate between colonizationists (conservative abolitionists like Galway advocating for removal of enslaved persons to Liberia), and radical abolitionists, who want the emancipation of enslaved persons. Helen O’Connell Galway, Augustin’s wife, decides to shelter the two fugitives from the watchful eye of her husband, but struggles with her decision. Utilizing a network of Quakers, local abolitionists, and free blacks including the Galways’ domestic servant and a fishmonger , Helen succeeds in keeping Joe and Imari sheltered—until an unscrupulous doctor hired by Augustin leads slave patrollers to the secreted runaways. In the end, Galway family secrets prove pivotal to the freedom seekers’ plight. While Sinnott offers a rich history of the burgeoning abolitionist movement, exhaustive details of events such as the New York Anti-Slavery Convention don’t always feel integrated into the story, and the primary characters are underdeveloped. In a crowded field, this doesn’t quite hold its own.

May 15, 2021
When an abolitionist convention comes to Utica, New York, in 1835, mayhem both public and private ensues. In this eloquent debut, a diverse cast of characters embodies the political, class, and racial upheavals of its time and milieu, and does it all in living local color. Helen, an orphan raised in a genteel finishing school for young ladies, is wed in a quasi-arranged marriage to Galway, a prosperous older widower. Her na�vet� regarding the issues of the day--in school she was taught that Southern masters treated their slaves like family--is tested when Imari and her son, Joe, escapees from a Virginia plantation, turn up in Galway's shed. Helen's domicile is further disrupted when Galway breaks his leg in a drunken fall, ushering quack doctor McCooke into their midst, as lecherous as he is incompetent. Meanwhile, Pryce, a young man unsure of his career path, pays more welcome attention to Helen. The streets of Utica come alive, especially as observed by minor characters--Owen Sylvanus, a conductor on the Underground Railroad, Alvan Stewart, a crusading lawyer leading the abolitionists, and Horace Wilberforce, a fishmonger and fixer. Utica's section of the Erie Canal, where freighters are hauled by mules along a towpath, is vividly evoked. Slave catchers have arrived, not only menacing Imari and Joe, but rallying the mob against the abolitionists. Galway himself opposes abolition--instead, he advocates sending American Blacks to colonize Liberia. His servant, Maggie, who was formerly enslaved by his family, is a force to be reckoned with. Since Helen is the second Mrs. Galway, the title provides a clue to explosive family secrets. The text treads very carefully when treating the subject of slavery, and, occasionally, unavoidable echoes of today's world lead to didactic moments that feel anachronistic. Often, when too many characters crowd into a scene, the logistics can verge on unintentional farce. But despite Sinnott's extensive research into her hometown and its role in abolition, the pace is never slowed by excessive detail. A localized but no less powerful look at the prologue to Emancipation.

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June 1, 2021
In this debut novel set in pre-Civil War Utica, New York, Helen is plucked from a school for young ladies to marry a local widower. She barely knows her husband and is uncomfortable in her new role, intimidated by the formidable housekeeper, Maggie, who remained with the family after her emancipation. Helen is shocked to discover Imari, a pregnant fugitive slave, and her young son, Joe, hiding in a shed on the property. Her first instinct is to expose them; however, as she learns more about them, she questions her preconceived notions. Adding to her concerns is her husband's opium addiction, which is being exploited by an unscrupulous doctor who has his eye on Helen, and the appearance of bounty hunters looking for Imari and Joe. Meanwhile, abolitionists gather in Utica to found the New York State Anti-Slavery Society. Opposition from more conservative locals leads to violence and brings to light previously buried family secrets. Utica-area native and local historian Sinnott's deep knowledge of the abolition movement in upstate New York informs this nuanced portrayal of white ambivalence and anti-slavery activism.

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