When We Lost Our Heads

Two privileged young girls in 1800s Montreal form an intense and dangerous friendship that shapes their lives. Marie Antoine, heiress to a sugar empire, and Sadie Arnett, daughter of social climbers, become inseparable despite their different backgrounds. Their relationship takes a dark turn after a violent childhood incident forces them apart. The girls follow separate paths - Marie travels across America with her father while Sadie is sent to a boarding school in England, where she begins to develop her writing talent. Years later, their paths cross again in Montreal's Golden Mile, reigniting their complex dynamic. The two women navigate adult society, creative pursuits, and their unresolved past against the backdrop of Victorian-era Canada. The novel explores themes of female friendship, class dynamics, and the constraints placed on women in 19th century society. Through Marie and Sadie's relationship, O'Neill examines how power, creativity, and desire intersect with gender and social status.

Readers describe this as a dark, gothic tale that combines elements of historical fiction with themes of female friendship and class dynamics in Victorian Montreal. Positive reviews highlight: - Rich atmospheric details of 1870s Montreal - Complex examination of power dynamics between women - Raw, unflinching approach to violence and sexuality - Unique narrative voice and vivid prose style Common criticisms: - Slow pacing, especially in middle sections - Some characters' actions feel implausible - Too many subplots that don't fully connect - Explicit content that some found gratuitous Ratings across platforms: Goodreads: 3.7/5 (2,800+ ratings) Amazon: 4.1/5 (150+ ratings) LibraryThing: 3.8/5 (90+ ratings) Several readers compared it to Sarah Waters' works but noted it's more experimental in style. Multiple reviews mentioned struggling with the length (544 pages) despite enjoying the writing. As one Goodreads reviewer noted: "Beautiful prose but needed tighter editing to maintain momentum."

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🍬 The Golden Mile in Montreal was home to Canada's wealthiest families during the 1800s, with many making their fortunes in industries like sugar refining and railway construction. 📚 The character Marie Antoine is a clever nod to Marie Antoinette, the last Queen of France before the French Revolution, who was also associated with sugar and excess. 🏰 Montreal's sugar industry boomed in the 19th century, with the Redpath Sugar Refinery (established 1854) being one of the city's largest employers and still operating today. ✍️ Heather O'Neill is a Montreal native whose work often explores themes of class division and childhood in her home city, earning her multiple prestigious literary awards including the Hugh MacLennan Prize for Fiction. 🎭 The novel draws parallels to the gothic tradition of female friendship narratives, similar to works like "Carmilla" by Sheridan Le Fanu (1872), which also explores intense relationships between young women of different social classes.