The Woman in White

One of the earliest works of detective fiction, The Woman in White is an epistolary novel set in the late mid-19th century, written by Wilkie Collins, a man who is fast becoming one of my favorite authors.

This is definitely literature, the sleuthing and legal mind at its best. The foreword/preamble to the book sets the tone and pace of the novel, which essentially is a collection of statements of the various important people that figure in it. Much like a trial scene where each witness provides his side of the story, in facts.

Walter Hartright, a twenty-something drawing master, receives an offer of employment, to teach drawing to two young ladies that reside in Limmeridge House. As he bids his family farewell and sets off to fulfill his commission, he meets a lady dressed in white. He doesn't realize until later that she was an escapee from a private asylum but thinks nothing of it as he settles in to his role as tutor. His employer, Mr. Fredrick Fairlie, is a middle aged man whose only concern is himself. Walter gets along well with his students; the confident Miss Marian Halcombe and the shy Miss Laura Fairlie, both nieces to Mr. Fairlie. The link? The woman that Walter had aided in escaping, Anne Catherick, bears great resemblance to Laura and she had lived in Cumberland, the village in which Limmeridge House is situated. Laura's mother had taken pity on Anne when she lived there and the young girl had become rather devoted to the lady.
Marian, a shrewd young lady who has resigned herself to the life of a spinster, quickly deduces that Walter has fallen in love with his shy young pupil, Laura. But Laura is promised to marry a Sir Percival Glyde, an older gentleman. Anne, who makes a quick appearance in the village, writes a letter to Laura telling her that Sir Glyde has a secret to hide and that she shouldn't marry him. In the course of an interview with Anne, Walter is convinced that it was Sir Glyde that locked her up in the asylum.
Walter, however, leaves, before Sir Glyde arrives, on an expedition to Honduras vowing to forget what has come to pass, though knowing that he can never be happy.
In the meanwhile, accusations made by Anne against Sir Glyde are dispelled, who conducts himself as a perfect gentleman in an uncomfortable situation would, wins over Marian, and marries Laura. His only fault, as presented through the eyes of Laura's solicitor, it would seem is his insistence, through his own solicitor, that all of Laura's money/inheritance be signed over to him, leaving no provision for even Marian, who is Laura's most trusted companion.
Laura returns from their wedding tour a changed woman. Marian moves in with her into her husband's house in Blackwater and mysteries begin to unfold. An Italian count, Count Fosco, and his wife, sister to Mr. Fairlie, accompany the Glydes to Blackwater. Fosco, an eccentric, big and jolly man, seems harmless, but Marian sees through his charm, while he becomes fascinated by her mind. His wife, earlier an outspoken, thick headed woman, now seems to have only one opinion. His. Sir Glyde seems to have lost all of his pre-marital charm. And Anne Catherick's accusations rise again. And the whole drama of a well orchestrated crime of mistaken identities, hidden stories, destroyed proofs, come into play.
The story flows smoothly through the narratives. It may seem predictable, but it is not. The story is very well written and presented in a very streamlined format in that while the narratives go over a certain time from different perspectives, it never gets confusing. There aren't too many names and situations involved, unlike several modern 'sensational novels' - The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo included. It has all the charm of English literature and society of the time, and retains the spirit of suspicion and the pace of a thriller.
I loved the characterization of Marian the most. Walter is obviously my second favorite, for his courage and strength and honor. But Marian. Ah! She is the strong one, the one whose mind and heart work sensibly and practically.
A lot of parts of the novel are creepy. Like the housekeeper that guards the door when Sir Glyde locks up his wife, the bleeding dog in the boat house, the fear of being followed, of being overheard, the eavesdropping, the unsafe methods of communication, of being attacked... and even the disgusting white rats that the Count allows to go through his button holes *shudder*.
It is a novel that concerns educated people doing things in moments of terror, where they try to set their paths in crooked ways. It is also a novel of female integrity and male courage and of love for someone you truly care about. It is a long book but you never feel bored. Which is why I'm glad I never had to read this, or most other classics, in their original serialized format!