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I have finally had some time to do background research about the genre of sensation novels and Victorian society and compile notes on this book. I have a lot of thoughts swimming around in my head right now, but I think I’ll start with addressing how this book fits the theme of the month, which was to capture an unusual point of view.
I think you did a great job with this nomination, AnotherCat! Thank you for recommending it! I loved how the book was told by multiple characters similar to how witnesses would testify in court. I suppose Collins was inspired to use this format from his legal training. I liked how the characters represented a variety of people besides the main characters such as servants, doctors, clergy, friends and family members. I also liked the variety in which the view points were told by the individuals, ranging from personal written testimonies to diary entries to letters. Even the church records, inscriptions on tombstones and words on a death certificate were important evidence.
There was no omniscient narrator. I think the use of multiple narrators made the story seem more immediate and that the reader was more present and engaged in the plot as it is told. I think that it helped to contribute to the urgency one feels in reading this book and wanting to unravel the mystery. Each person’s viewpoint raises new questions, and you are eager to know how all the pieces fit together. The constant shifting of narrators without an omniscient voice also contributed to a sense of how much could you trust the narrator and whether their testimony was reliable. Things and people aren’t always what they seem!
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