Review: The Last Dickens

The Last Dickens by Matthew Pearl
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book was sort of a let-down, but I'm really not sure how it could have improved. It's a mystery, but also a historical novel. For some reason, these two genres seem to often be in conflict. A mystery should be quick-paced, leaving the reader with cliff-hangers and wanting to know more, while a historical novel often delves into life in a certain place at a certain time, creating the atmosphere for that locale, which takes time. So these two things often don't go hand in hand (I've rarely seen it work well, as with Umberto Eco).

Anyway, all that was to say that this novel seemed disjointed. Some exhilarating action, followed by a deep dive into 19th century Boston, or the publishing industry during Dickensian times. I enjoy all of these, but they didn't really seem to mesh. Add some scenes in India that add absolutely nothing to the story, and it is rather frustrating.

Having said that, it did make me very curious about The Mystery of Edwin Drood. I remember, as a kid, seeing the play of Edwin Drood at a theater in Cape Cod. I knew nothing of it ahead of time, and halfway through the performance the actors came out, saying that Dickens never finished the novel, so the audience would vote on the final outcome. I don't remember what we voted for, but I do remember being frustrated there too.

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