If British author L.S. Hilton had her way, her new book “Maestra” would come with a warning label on it. “It would say, ‘THIS IS NOT A LOVE STORY,’ ” says Hilton, who spoke with The Post on the telephone from the Gritti Palace in Venice, Italy.
“Maestra,” which came out Tuesday, is the first installment in a trilogy and is bound to be the It beach book of the summer — with a lot of graphic sex, several murders and no romance whatsoever.
It’s been on the Top 5 best-selling hardcover fiction list for the past five weeks in the UK. It’s now sold in 38 countries, its first draft sparked a seven-figure bidding war last summer, and it’s already being made into a major Hollywood film with a screenplay by Erin Cressida Wilson, who also penned the script for “The Girl on the Train.” “Maestra” is currently ranked No. 48 in the psychological thrillers category on Amazon.
Hilton, a 40-something Oxford historian, does not appreciate comparisons to “Fifty Shades of Grey,” the 2011 E L James best seller (and subsequent series) that brought female-written erotica into the mainstream.
“‘Fifty Shades’ is a Cinderella story,” says Hilton, single mom to a 10-year-old daughter. “A shy, passive virgin who falls in love with an older man, essentially converting him to suburban dad, which is apparently what we all want.”
Unapologetic, confident and quite the sociopath, protagonist Judith Rashleigh is no Anastasia Steele.
By day, she’s a young assistant at a prestigious London art house who is fired when she discovers a forgery she wasn’t meant to uncover. At night, she’s a hostess at an upscale Champagne bar, hired to make sure men with money keep spending it.
Fearing further retribution for the discovered forgery, Judith goes on the run, but in a jet-setting sort of way, with plenty of yachting and high-end shopping in Italy, Switzerland and France — as well as committing a few murders, in the name of self-preservation — along the way.
Her carnal adventures range from sex parties with strangers (always upscale, with plenty of naked waitresses handing out lobster pastries) to fun deckside flings with hot Norwegian sea captains named Jan. (Hilton notes that the Norwegian publishers of the book are currently holding a “Mr. ‘Maestra’ competition” to find the guy who looks the most like Jan.)
Murder and sex seem to energize Judith in much the same way — she doesn’t spend any time feeling guilty about either.
“She’s interested in sex, not men,” says Hilton. Indeed, what BDSM was to “Fifty Shades,” wild orgies is to “Maestra.” The men are mostly incidental.
One of the things that has surprised Hilton has been the response to Judith Rashleigh. “We did a focus group of young women and they said they found Judith empowering. That wasn’t something I intended, but I was flattered,” says Hilton. “I don’t think she’s a weaponized feminist icon, but she represents the anger of the millennial generation. They’ve been born into this economically advanced culture, and they’ve been fed an idea that they just need to work hard and develop their brand on Instagram and everything will work out, but no matter how hard they try, they can’t get ahead. Judith tries things the right way — working hard. Then she says, ‘Sod this, I’ll do it the wrong way.’”
Fans have definitely taken note. Judith is “the very definition of girl power but with added mayhem!” enthuses one reader on Goodreads.
“Loving ‘Maestra’ waaaaayyyyyy better than 50shades, this book has depth!” tweeted another.
“She’s the epitome of a strong, modern woman,” London resident Caroline Reeback, 44, who maintains a book blog called Caro’s Corner, tells The Post. “Shame she’s also a murderous sociopath.”
True, says Hilton, but it’s about time a female protagonist has a good time being bad.
“It seems there are rules women are expected to obey — we are creatures of feeling, we can’t do anything without emotion,” she says. “Male characters don’t have to put up with that s–t. I wanted to write a heroine who was permitted to transgress in the way that a man would be. No one questions James Bond’s inner life.”
People are building forts with old copies of ‘Fifty Shades’: