The Woman In White by Wilkie Collins

The Woman In White by Wilkie Collins

Read by Ian Holm

Published in 1859

Summary: 

The Woman in White is an intricately plotted story, organised as a chain of 'witness' statements from a wide diversity of characters designed to unravel a cunning conspiracy against innocent women by a duo of memorable aristocratic monsters, Sir Percival Glyde and his devilish companion, the Italian Count Fosco. The theme of identity is explored in great depth in The Woman in White. In fact, the question of identity drives the story from beginning to end: The narrative starts with the appearance of a strange woman in white whose identity is discovered only near the end of the book.

My Thoughts: 

I've had this book on my TBR for years for two reasons - it's a classic and  I was told it was great. Which is my way of telling you that I had no idea what it was about when I picked it up and was under this impression, from the title, that it was a bit of a creepy read. Which is also my way of telling you that this book was not at all what I was expecting...but also exactly what I was expecting. 

Why it's considered a classic: 

• It was so popular that it's now considered to be the key book in establishing sensation fiction - intricately plotted novels that combined morals, melodrama, and just the right amount of gruesomeness. Sensation fiction fused Gothic romance with a realistic novel.
• It's also an early example of detective fiction, with Walter Hartright, our hero, using a number of sleuthing techniques. 
• It highlights the inequality of women at the time and the misuse of what were then called "lunatic asylums." This wouldn't be particularly noteworthy in a novel written today, but it keeps this novel relevant. 

I must admit that, while this one had me happy to return to classics, and the details and history they include, in the end, I wasn't entirely sure I was happy with the way it finished. Oh yes, when it drew to a close, it ended exactly the way I expected it to end. But the climax came out of nowhere for me and I couldn't help but wonder if Collins hadn't known, as he was writing this novel that was initially serialized, how he was growing to end it. After percolating my thoughts for a few days, I'm still not entirely sure I like the climax but I respect the incredibly intricate plotting it took to get the novel to that point. I listened to this book, which means that I wasn't giving it my full attention (much to the delight of the other drivers around me). It needed my full attention. Collins gave readers plenty of clues (and some out right statements not to trust certain characters); but even with those, readers will not be able to figure this one out for themselves (at least not entirely). I would certainly have liked to have been able to go back and reread certain passages to understand how it all fell together in the end. 

So was it exactly the creepy Halloween-ish read I was expecting? No, not really. But was it the dark, mysterious tale I was expecting? Yes, yes it was. Which makes it just what I needed right now.