Lou’s Review: A Million to One, by Adiba Jaigirdar

Every so often you stumble across a book with such an insanely good hook it’s impossible to do anything other than read it. Which is exactly how I came to pick up A Million to One, a sapphic heist novel set aboard Titanic. Adiba Jaigirdar is one of the most interesting writers of sapphic YA, choosing less-sung protagonists by drawing on her Irish and South Asian heritage to tell richly textured stories. Her novels are a wonderful balance of heartfelt and entertaining. And I enjoyed this historical romp so much the first time round that I needed to revisit it in audiobook format.

Four young women live together in a boarding house – the only thing they have in common is being down on their luck. There’s Josefa, a thief clever as she is charming; Hinna, an acrobat abandoned by her family; Violet, an aspiring actress desperate to send for her younger brother; and Emilie, a gifted artist without a safety net since the death of her white father. These four outsiders long for something more. And between them they have the skills to pull off an audacious heist: sneaking aboard the Titanic to steal a priceless edition of the Rubaiyat. With these jewels they can start new, secure lives. But Josefa’s past threatens to overturn her future, and nothing about this voyage goes quite as planned.

A Million to One is gripping from the very first page, when we meet Josefa running from the police. And from there the pacing soars – never a dull moment in this story. It’s impossible not to root for our heroines, a group of vulnerable young women who refuse to give up in spite of all the challenges life has thrown at them. Grief and loneliness, poverty and racism; none of it is enough to stop these girls trying to create a place in the world where they belong.

I particularly love how Jaigirdar approaches difference between her characters. Despite the high stakes, there are points when the mission nearly falls apart because of tensions within the group. Violet – a Polish immigrant – initially resents Emilie, raised in comfort and culture by her father, until realising that no amount of money will ever fully shield Emilie from anti-Blackness. And Emilie doesn’t fully appreciate why Violet can be harsh until clocking just how much rides on this mission – this score is likely the only way Violet will ever see her brother again.

The individual relationships between these characters are fascinating, creating a vivid group dynamic. Josefa is the strategist behind the heist, and starts off as the glue holding this team together. But Violet grows intensely protective towards Hinna, the youngest member of their crew – their friendship arc is utterly gorgeous, creating some of the most moving scenes in the book. And Josefa had accepted that her desire for women – unspeakable in 1912’s polite society – might mean a life of solitude, though she’s wanted to get closer to Emilie since the moment they met.

A Million to One contains a delicious sapphic romance, the sweet slow-burn fitting for both the historical period and intended younger audience. Josefa and Emilie’s relationship has a deep-rooted tenderness. And in some ways YA seems streets ahead of romance aimed at older readers when it comes to race and representation. Thanks to authors like Jaigirdar, there’s an ever-expanding range of stories where young women of colour fall in love with each other.

Without wishing to give too much away, my favourite thing about this novel is how our protagonists – lesbian and otherwise – find nourishment in each other to the extent that they build families far less recognised but every bit as real as the heteronuclear model. A Million to One is Found Family at the trope’s most wholesome.

Admittedly, not every aspect of this story worked for me. There are so many filter words. A Million to One would be more engaging if the author showed us firsthand what characters experienced instead of telling what they’d felt, heard, and seen. Then again, spelling things out makes it easy to follow for younger readers, and the intended readership is 12 and up – I’m a woman in her early thirties.

Also, a big reason people are still fascinated by Titanic over a century after it sank is that this ship was an incredible feat of engineering, luxuriously upholstered for first class passengers. While the class politics are unfortunate – which Jaigirdar, to her credit, fully explores – that glamour is part of the ship’s enduring appeal. Had the author had engaged more with setting, the story would have a more powerful atmosphere. But the lack of lengthy description does enable tight pacing.

Still, this book is well worth reading. Jaigirdar offers an original take on a classic story. And though the Titanic is a tragic subject, A Million to One is such a fun read. This is a lovable cast of characters, and their adventure is thrilling from start to finish. Whether you’re into YA, historical fiction, or sapphic romance, there’s something for everyone in these pages.