Rashmi bookmarks “The Mystery of Edwin Drood”

The Mystery of Edwin Drood is the final novel by Charles Dickens and was unfinished at the time of his death. Set in Cloisterham, the story is primarily about Edwin Drood, his fiancé Rosa Bud, and his uncle John Jasper. It tells the story of the relationship between Edwin and Rosa, Edwin and John, and the dramatic turn of events that takes place with the coming of Neville Landless and his twin sister Helena.

I don’t think I can in all fairness judge the content or the pace of the story; the first half of the book seemed quite slow and I remember thinking that not much was happening. But the ‘first half’ was really probably the first quarter, which changes the overall picture completely.

As always, Dickens’ flawless rendition of character sketches shines through. One of my favourite characters was Mr. Crisparkle, and a highlight section was his meeting with the philanthropist Mr. Honeythunder (a section that I found myself reading twice over and mentally applauding towards the end!)

I was also very impressed by Rosa. When the story started, she was nothing more than a young, pretty, naive girl, bordering almost on the annoying. Circumstances involving Edwin Drood however, turned her into such a strong and mature woman, displaying such admirable qualities, that my irritation soon turned into respect.

Two other characters that also left quite an impression on me were Mr. Grewgious - with his fantastic sense of humour and his unending readiness to help people, and Mrs. Billickin - so outrageously outspoken, yet with such a kind heart!

From the ill-timed proposal to Rosa, to the mysterious warning about the name ‘Ned’, to an oft-repeated imaginary scene in the opium den …  it is my opinion that the villain of this story could only be one person; and if it is whom the clues point to, it makes the character - and all his words and actions - so very sinister.

Sometimes when I think about great novels and brilliant authors, I truly regret the passing of such genius writers as Charles Dickens, the likes of which the world will probably never see again. Reading this unfinished work was just such a brutal reminder of that fact.