REVIEW: The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde (Robert Louis Stevenson)

Book: The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde

Author: Robert Louis Stevenson

My rating: 4/5.

Premise: Idealistic young scientist Henry Jekyll struggles to unlock the secrets of the soul. Testing chemicals in his lab, he drinks a mixture he hopes will isolate - and eliminate - human evil. Instead it unleashes the dark forces within him, transforming him into the hideous and murderous Mr. Hyde.

This is one of those books where I know the basic gist (i.e. Jekyll and Hyde are the same person) but nothing of the actual story! The plot itself follows Mr Utterson as he tries to find out who the mysterious Mr Hyde is. I can imagine that the big reveal would've been sensational back when it was released. But, of course, now its well known so instead of wondering who Hyde is, you can pick up on the foreshadowing and hidden meanings. I'd also watched a programme on the history of murder mysteries and this book was mentioned. So I had more of a historical context and could appreciate how ground breaking this novel would've been. Well worth a read!