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The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson is an interesting and disturbing tale about mankind's dual identity and how it may be brought by science. 


PLOT SUMMARY

Soho, London. Victorian Era. Mr. Utterson is an upstanding lawyer who hangs out, drinks, eats, and smokes with his other upstanding lawyer and doctor friends, two being Dr. Lanyon and Dr. Jekyll. 

One night, as the novel opens, Mr. Utterson walks along with his friend Mr. Enfield when they pass an old dilapidated building. The site of this erection sparks Enfield's memory, and he tells an eerie story. One night/early-morning, Enfield was out on a stroll through Soho on his way home when he sees a young girl gets knocked over and trampled on by a short, portly fellow. The man runs ahead, but Enfield and a couple others catch him by the collar and make him apologize to the girl's family and give reparations. After the encounter, the short man heads into the same dilapidated building Utterson and Enfield pass tonight. 

Utterson soon learns that the violent man's name is Mr. Hyde, as his (former) friend Dr. Jekyll informs him. Mr. Utterson is Jekyll's lawyer, so he has his will which demands all his money and possessions (which are fairly numerous, as he is an aristocrat) should be left to Mr. Hyde. This confuses and confounds Mr. Utterson. He can't sleep or focus on anything besides the case of Jekyll and Hyde. 

Why has Jekyll left everything to Mr. Hyde? Does Mr. Hyde know something about Jekyll that even his former best friends don't know? Why are Mr. Hyde and Dr. Jekyll never seen together? Is Jekyll an addict? Why has Jekyll become a recluse and is constantly shutting himself into the laboratory? 


REVIEW

I loved this book. It was very, for lack of a better word, freaky. This is the second classic mystery/horror book I've read in a row. I liked this one better than Dracula, and that is saying something. I loved the Freudian implications of this novel. The discussion of the superego, ego, and id is fascinating. (If you are not sure what these topics are, here is a resource that can help.) A lot of lessons about perfectionism can be learned from this book, a topic that most definitely needs to be discussed with young women today. 

Addiction is an overarching topic in this short novel (My copy is only about 50 pages.). While this theme can be a touchy subject, I think this novel discusses it beautifully. In an age of addiction mindset, depression, and other psychological issues reading this book becomes more important each day. 

The ability to connect the Victorian Era to today is amazing. The parallels are scary. Overall, I think this book is relevant, important, needed, and must be read. Because it is a classic, is written well, and approaches tough matter, my rating is a wholehearted 5 stars.


Audience: 13+

Publisher: Dover Publications (Dover Thrift Edition)

Date Published: my copy - 1991; originally - 1850

ISBN: 9780486266886

Format: paperback

Genre: Mystery/Detective/Thriller/Horror/Classic


Happy reading!! What do you think about this book? Anyone...? Anyone there?


PS: I listened and read along with LibreCast Audiobooks (can be found on Spotify!). 

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