Super Short Summary

Frog Music by Emma Donoghue is a 2014 historical novel set in 1876 San Francisco during a heat wave, small-pox epidemic, and anti-Chinese-immigrant hostilities. The novel revolves around the unsolved murder of free spirit Jenny Bonnet and her relationship with burlesque dancer and prostitute Blanche Beunon. As Blanche seeks to uncover Jenny's killer, the story navigates the days leading up to and following the murder through shifting timelines. The narrative follows Blanche's personal growth, the discovery of her maternal instincts, and her quest for justice amidst her complicated relationships with her lovers, Arthur and Ernest. The book explores themes of friendship, independence, and societal defiance.