The Lost Glass Plates of Wilfred Eng

Thomas Orton

When Robert Armour, a photo dealer and historian, is called by Judith Lund, a rich and fledgling artist, to appraise a group of glass plates (photo negatives,) his life suddenly takes an unexpected turn: he suspects they are self-portraits of famous nineteenth century photographer Wilfred Eng. When he later discovers more glass plates in Judith's basement which he believes are nudes of Eng's mistress Ellen, he sets out to dupe Judith into believing they're worthless and introduce them to the world himself.

He teams up with Parker, a former associate, and together they put a plan in motion which ends up with more complications than Armour bargained for. In the meanwhile, the more he involves himself in the research of Eng's life and the stealing of the plates, the more distant Armour becomes in his personal relationships with girlfriend Diane and her son Budge, a relationship further complicated by Diane's growing affection for her ex-husband's attentions.

Most of this is fairly engaging, despite the fact that Orton often takes us into territory which doesn't really further the novel. Where Orton really shines is in his creation of Wilfred Eng's personal and professional history. This is where the story is most involving, as we learn about Eng's artistic contributions to the art world, his personal shortcomings, and his love affair with Ellen. Much of this is revealed in Ellen's own voice via a journal she kept during the affair, which Armour is reading. It's a complicated, believable, involving biography that meanders through the novel. It is also set up in such a way that loosely parallels Armour's own personality and ultimately, self-discovery.

Despite a few typical first-novel pitfalls, this is an engaging debut.