The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins

On the train to Boston, I finished Wilkie Collins’ The Moonstone, a book I was reading because I’m planning to write a thesis on Collins, but I’d only actually read The Woman in White. I had heard several people say that of those two they preferred The Moonstone, but I disagree for reasons I will discuss later. The Moonstone, though, was very good indeed.

The basic premise is that of a perfect crime that seems unsolvable: a valuable jewel is stolen the night of a dinner party in the country, and a series of misleading clues, combined with several suspicions persons confuses the investigators. The Moonstone is written sort of like an official report that combines several narratives from different people who were in a position to have witnessed some part of a crime that was committed. For instance, one section is written by the relative of the girl from whom the jewel was stolen, one by a doctor, one by the girl’s lawyer, and oters. The voice of all these characters was fantastic – each was unique and believable. This narrative technique also adds to the sense that the crime is being “investigated,” which I imagine is part of the reason that Collins is credited with writing the first “detective novel.”

Overall the book was engaging and suspenseful. It has some interesting social commentary aspects which might be useful for my thesis . . . I haven’t actually decided what about Collins I want to address.

In comparison to The Woman in White, I have to say I think The Woman in White is far more interesting. The mystery is a lot darker in general, involving truly sinister villains, mental institutions, and an examination of life for Victorian females who, once married, were essentially trapped with no legal or monetary control over their own lives. Not only does it have an engaging mystery, but as a study of people and society I think The Woman in White reaches deeper than The Moonstone.

Next I have a biography of Wilkie Collins and a collection of three novellas: Miss or Mrs?, The Haunted Hotel, and The Guilty River.