I am sitting here writing this review with one thought racing through my mind, “How come no one, in the history of epinions, has written a review on this literary work of art?” Stevenson, also the author of Treasure Island, is known as one of the greatest authors of the 19th century, and maybe even of all time. Hopefully this review will spawn others, and if not, then I will be truly astounded.

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is the story of a good-natured man who takes a potion that turns himself into a freak of nature. Dr. Jekyll, a perfectly practical scientist, is transformed into a living version of pure evil. Mr. Utterson, Jekyll’s long time friend, just happens to be Dr. Jekyll’s lawyer. Utterson discovers that Jekyll’s will says that in case of his untimely death or disappearance, everything shall be handed down to a Mr. Hyde that Utterson knows nothing about. Utterson is clueless as to where Hyde fits in to the equation, and he’s on a quest for answers.

My professor assigned this book to me long ago. I had heard of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde because they were automatically associated with good and evil. This analogy was brought to my attention during a literary circle discussion. I had no idea what they were talking about, I just sat there and absorbed. Anyway, when this book was assigned, it was to be finished in 2 weeks. It wasn’t too much to ask because the book was only about 100 small pages.

When I finally got around to reading it, it was late at night. I picked it up out of my backpack, and began to read. The first paragraph is so detailed and interesting that you get pulled into the book. I kept reading and reading with no thought about the time. The story was such a well-written masterpiece, that I was fascinated till the last word.

The characters are so authentic and so unique. You can relate to all of them on different levels. Their actions are so significant, even to the reader. They characters will influence you in the most peculiar ways, I really can’t describe it.

This book is honestly like nothing else you’ll ever read. I mean, sure there have been similar books, but they are most likely derivatives of Jekyll and Hyde. The detail that Stevenson uses to describe a single scene is mind-boggling, read this excerpt for yourself:
“It was a wild, cold, seasonable night of March, with a pale moon, lying on her back as though the wind had tilted her, and flying wrack of the most diaphanous and lawny texture. The wind made talking difficult, and flecked the blood into the face. It seemed to have swept the streets unusually bare of passengers, besides; for Mr. Utterson thought he had never seen that part of London so deserted.”

See, with Stevenson, he can place you into any scene. If a character is feeling angry, you’ll feel angry, if a character is scared, you’ll feel scared, and so on. Stevenson has that amazing writing style. He is so detailed, so precise, and his metaphors, similes, and personifications are so fresh. His writing is delightful to read, and his conflicts are so basic, but written about in such an original way.

I’ll admit, while I was reading this mystery, I was actually scared. Every time I heard the littlest sound, I would look around. I felt like I was in the book’s storyline, and I couldn’t help but get the full effect of the suspense.

I’ve read my share of mysteries and horror books, but this one is my favorite. I believe I enjoy it so much because it seems so real, the way things are discussed, the way character’s feelings are portrayed, this book just has it all. If I could recommend one mystery that’s a must read, this would be it. Start reading it for yourself; you’ll soon understand where I’m coming from.


Recommended: Yes