Wilkie Collins "The Woman in White"
To be honest, even though I didn’t particularly like the characters, found the plot kind of sluggish, got pretty bored in the middle, and thought the whole thing was overly drawn-out - I still have to admit this book holds real cultural value for its time.
This is a novel by English writer Wilkie Collins, first published in 1860 by Charles Dickens in his magazine All the Year Round. It’s considered one of the earliest works in the detective genre - though most of the time, it doesn’t feel like a detective story in the modern sense. The suspense is minimal, while the blushing cheeks and delicate hand gestures are on full display.
The plot unfolds through a series of narratives told by different characters, either recounting their own stories or describing events tied to the main characters. That structure is actually quite engaging.
The quiet life of young artist Walter Hartright changes forever after he accepts a comfortable job as a drawing teacher at a secluded estate - and even more so after a strange late-night encounter with a mysterious woman dressed in white…
Who is she? Why does she curse a certain baronet so bitterly? Who are the men chasing her? And why does she look exactly like one of Walter’s students - almost like a twin?
As Walter begins to search for answers, he finds himself entangled in a dark web of family secrets, hidden for generations - secrets dangerous to anyone who dares to uncover them…
If there’s a central theme worth pointing out (besides just following the twists and turns of the plot), it’s the status of women in 19th-century society - legally and otherwise. The book hammers home the idea that a woman could do practically nothing without some kind of male “protector”: a father, a brother, a husband, a friend - it didn’t matter who, as long as he was a man. Daughters’ dowries were passed between men. A man’s word alone could land a woman in jail, lock her in an asylum, or ruin her reputation beyond repair.
And, unfortunately, even the strongest and most resourceful female characters still end up needing to be saved by men in the end.
Oh - and don’t forget to add a little sprinkle of conspiracy theories for good measure. I also didn't really understand anything about the main female lead - girl, get a grip on yourself, do you have anything except for being pretty, naive, and unlucky enough to get into a story like that?..
I’d recommend this one to fans of Victorian literature, those who enjoy mellow detective stories, and readers who don’t mind a few “plot twists of the 1860s” - the kind that made me let out an occasional surprised “oh!” or “wait, what?”.