The Woman in White

by Wilkie Collins

The depth and breadth of this epic was astounding. I am absolutely not ready to let go of the magnificent characters. For days I awoke thinking about them (and their fates) and fell asleep thinking about the same. The Woman in White is a dark and sinister story — so terrifying at times that I found myself gesticulating wildly during the most exquisitely tense and scary moments. It is everyday evil one confronts in this story and the author’s magic pen reveals it with great composure, calm and care; the effect of this approach is hair-raising.

A friend recommended I read Wilkie Collins knowing that I am a huge Dickens fan. The two were contemporaries and even collaborated on a few things. What Collins had that Dickens did not is legal scholarship. In fact Dickens did not like lawyers. Collins, however, has a deep respect for the process and his legal training comes through in many ways. It is a real asset in this story. The man is thorough.

Late one night on a deserted road, Walter Hartright meets a young woman dressed all in white. She needs his help. Slowly, Walter’s world is enveloped in mystery and secrets, and a very clear and present danger. He is an unlikely person to do combat with great malevolence, but he does not disappoint. The brave and bold Marian Holcombe is a marvelous co-star for Walter.

The author treats every element, every slice of his intricate story, as all worthy of complete explanation and complete resolution. With such art, he leaves no detail unaddressed. Sometimes after reading a BIG book you might wonder about little things…..”How did he get from that house to the station so rapidly …..? Why didn’t that character who was introduced in the beginning ever show up again?” You will not have any unanswered questions when the end unravels. He gives each denouement the utmost care in explanation, and each is like a gift to the reader. It is an immaculately told story.

This is written in the 19th century. The world was different. Whether or not you like the social constructs of long ago, you will be completely transported to 1850-something. You will feel like you are there.

My favorite quotes:

“Habits of literary composition are perfectly familiar to me. One of the rarest of all the intellectual accomplishments that a man can possess is the grand faculty of arranging his ideas. Immense privilege! I possess it. Do you?”

“I say what other people only think, and when all the rest of the world is in a conspiracy to accept the mask for the true face, mine is the rash hand that tears off the plump pasteboard, and shows the bare bones beneath.”

“We don’t want genius in this country unless it is accompanied by respectability.

If you read this book, your heart will pound with excitement. You will look for something with which to whack the scoundrels and you will be fist-pumping the accomplishments of the good in the face of great evil. It is about love and hate, laziness and industry, treachery and goodwill — and every sentence written is perfection. The writing is so superb, it will raise you up along with it and suspend you there. You will love it.