The Strange Case of Dr. Jeckyl & Mr. Hyde has been eyeing me from my TBR pile for quite some time now. It’s been patiently waiting for me to choose it over the stacks and stacks of other choices. The reason it’s always been the bride’s maid and never the bride is because it falls into that unsavory category – classical literature. And for me, classical literature can be about as appetizing as swallowing a handful of broken glass. Oh, I’ve had a few triumphant moments with literature. Frankenstein, War of the Worlds, HP Lovecraft tomes, even Twain, Fitzgerald and Golding. But for every Catcher in the Rye, there’s Moby Dick and The Tale of Two Cities. I try. I really do. I want to love literature, but I don’t think it loves me back. Alas, I periodically go back to the well and try again. This time, it was Stevenson’s tale’s turn to suit up…and I’m glad it did.
We all know the basic premise of Jeckyll & Hyde. The lovable Dr. Jeckyll explores a way to rid himself of his dark urges by attempting to concoct an elixir that will dispel his dark side. Instead, it transforms him into the evil and wretched Mr. Hyde. Stevenson had me hooked with his storytelling from beginning to end. The tale is intriguing in the exploration of Jeckyll’s alter ego and the imbalance of chemicals that brings him out. In man’s search for purity by tinkering with Mother Nature, we discover that there is something so vile and impure lying beneath the surface waiting to escape. Is every human capable of evil? Do we all have evil within us, lying in the weeds waiting for it’s chance to surface? If so, what keeps the lid on the boiling pot, preventing it from spilling over into the outside world while others cannot keep the same lid securely fastened? It’s an interesting question, the duality of man, and one that Stevenson not only makes into an entertaining read, but also a thought-provoking one.
4 Tainted Salts out of 5
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Into The Macabre 