A review by nmcannon
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson

adventurous dark mysterious slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

When I was a Youth(TM), I was so in love with Treasure Island that I didn’t read any of Robert Louis Stevenson’s other books. Last September, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde jumped out on my Libby app recommendations. It’s only three hours! That’s like, one night of playing Stardew Valley. I downloaded the audiobook, popped in my earphones, and got to it.  

Okay, you know the story of Jekyll and Hyde. I don’t need to summarize it here. This audiobook edition includes Stevenson’s biography, and it was quite fun to learn he came from a family of civil engineers. The story proper follows along a penny dreadful’s expected lines. The one surprise was the lack of intense ableism concerning Hyde’s appearance. Knowing the Victorians, I buckled up for a lot of microaggressions against disabled people, but Hyde is nondisabled. He’s just got absolutely rancid vibes. I laughed when Jekyll’s colleagues found out about his discovery and they each, independently, decided to go to bed. Victorian doctors are indeed very fragile creatures.

The reveal of Jekyll and Hyde’s connection is saved for the very end, and it must have whigged the original audience OUT. For me, over a century later, the story ended up being very middling. Well-written, of course, but it was like reading an O. Henry story for a second time. The twist is everything, and I’ve had that spoiled since I watched Pagemaster at age three. While I think it’s still worthwhile to read the book, and on a craft level The Strange Case earns 5 stars, it was more a 3 star reading experience for me. I’m glad I read The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, but the experience didn’t blow my socks off. 
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