The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde: Book Review

A forgotten classic that always finds itself being mentioned by the public is The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson. That is why we will be reviewing this gothic novella and see just how good it was and if you should get around to reading it!

The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde Summary

The story starts off with Gabriel John Utterson and his cousin Richard Enfield discussing a strange occurrence that took place three months ago. At 3 A.M. on that day, Enfield recalls a sinister man named Edward Hyde trample a young girl after accidentally bumping into her. Enfield forced Hyde to pay the family of the girl a £100 to quiet them. Hyde then leads Enfield to a door and gives Enfield a check signed by Doctor Henry Jekyll, a friend and client of Utterson.

That leads Enfield to believe that Hyde is blackmailing hide along with the fact that Jekyll changed his will and made Hyde the sole beneficiary in case anything happens to him. This leads to them talking to Jekyll about Hyde and Jekyll says he has everything under control. But Jekyll’s world starts to crumble around him when a murder takes place and Hyde is a suspect, threatening to make his secret public.

Commentary

The novella was written in 1986 and even over a century later, it holds up well. When people think of gothic horror novels, this novel is one that comes to most people’s mind. Even the phrase “Jekyll and Hyde” has become ingrained in mainstream culture. This novella was one an instant success and one of Stevenson’s best selling works.

For its time, this was considered a horror novel unlike any other. And while I don’t think that is it that terrifying, there was nothing like it when it was published. What makes this novel fascinating is that it tackles a lot of things and there are a lot of interpretations that critics took away from the book. The obvious ones such as good versus evil and one that many gravitate towards to.

I enjoyed this short read and can see the appeal of this novel. You can buy it for cheap for under a $1 or read it for free at Project Gutenberg. Stevenson’s Treasure Island is the novel everything thinks of first and this is a great second book to read if you enjoyed Treasure Island. You won’t go wrong with this classic novel!

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