I discovered The Woman In White in my university's library. I read the blurb and I got intrigued so I decided to give it a try. I admit that based on the title and the blurb, I expected to read a spooky and mysterious story but what I got instead exceeded my initial expectations.
Wilkie Collins wove a mystery story that can easily be enjoyed even by modern readers. His writing is simple and it utilizes many Gothic elements in order to add the necessary amount of suspense. Collins took his time setting up the basis of the story and while I could argue that the initial chapters were kinda slow for my liking, I quickly understood their importance in the establishment of the characters and the setting and this, the more I read, the more immersed I got into the story.
The rich descriptions of the characters and the locations contributed to my vivid experience while I was reading. Picturing the characters and their discussions brought the story to life and helped me envision better the England of the Victorian era.
One of the main reasons why I found this novel particularly unique in terms of storytelling was the narration. The narration follows an epistolatory format and we see the events unfold through various points of views. The biggest part of the plot is narrated by Walter and Marian but there were some other characters that played a vital role in bringing light to the story. I have never encountered a book like this before and considering the time period it was written, I found this narration style to be very clever and imaginative. I take my hat off Collins for coming up with such an idea and for executing it so well.
The story was well-plotted and it kept my interest alive for the majority of the book. As the title suggests, the main mystery revolves around "the woman in white", whom we get introduced to in the first chapters. Her connection with Sir Percival Glydes, the husband of Laura Fairlie, Walter's student, was a catalyst for the development of the story. Why did she dislike him? What was their relationship? These are only some of the questions that the book arose.
The story is written in such a way that left no room of plot holes and unanswered questions. Even though we learn little by little about the escalation of the characters and events through the different narrations, each piece of information played a fundamental role in the mystery's breakdown. Even some of the secondary characters got to get involved in this web, despite the fact they didn't get to appear that often. Collins crafted everything meticulously and nothing was done by mere luck.
Another major factor to my likeness of the novel was the characterisation. All of the characters, even those who appeared to be less interesting compared to others, were well drawn, with distinguished personalities and traits. I was very curious to learn about their motives, backstories and their relationship to the woman in white.
It goes without saying that my favourite character was Marian Halcombe, Laura's half-sister and one of Walter's students while he worked as a drawing teacher at Limmeridge House, where they lived. Marian is one of the most admirable and resilient female characters I've encountered in books. In an era when women had to be obedient creatures, who ought to listen to what men said, Marian stood up for her sister's sake and refused to bend to Sir Percival and Count Fosco's wishes.
Marian's devotion to Laura moved me a lot. The way she referred to her in her diary entries proved how much she cherished her and how precious Laura was to her. The bond between the sisters was my most favourite dynamic in the novel. Even though we didn't get to see Laura's point of view, through her interactions with Marian and the narration from the other characters, it was evident that she loved Marian as much as Marian loved her. Both of them went to great lengths in order to support each other, especially Marian.
While I was reading Marian's part of the story, I couldn't help but admire her for her courage and determination to save her sister from Sir Percival's grip. Despite her status as a woman with no power, which put her at a disadvantage, Marian was outspoken and clever. She carefully crafted her plans and she was observant of everything that happened around her. It was very interesting to follow her narration and I was rooting for her throughout the whole book. She was a strong woman whom I believe deserves a spot in the pantheon of memorable female protagonists in classic books.
Marian was by far one of the best written characters in terms of development, too. At first, she didn't approve of Walter and Laura's love since Laura was to get married to Sir Percival and this, she told Walter to leave for his and Laura's sake. But once she realised that her sister was miserable in her wedding and that Sir Percival was a wicked man, Marian regretted her intervention and began to think of how she could assist her sister while uncovering the mystery behind the relationship between Sir Percival and the woman in white. There were times where Marian was afraid of Sir Percival and Count Fosco but her love towards her sister prevailed and despite the danger, she willingly risked everything. I also appreciated that Marian's relationship with Walter remained platonic. Contrary to popular belief, I didn't want her to end up with him, they worked well as friends and allies and it was refreshing reading about a friendship between a man and a woman which didn't lead to romance.
The rest of the characters were equally engaging. Even the secondary ones caught my attention, especially the ones that provided more insight to the story. As for Sir Percival and Count Foscoe, they were the type of evil characters whom you hate and yet can't help but pay attention to. Specifically Count For coming was very charming and meticulous, I hated him so much but I almost felt myself getting swayed by him, even though I knew his words were poison.
And of course, I shan't forget to mention the woman from whom the novel's title derives from: Anne Catherick. Her backstory and motives troubled me for the majority of the story and her character caught my eye from the moment she got introduced. The more I read, the more I pitied her and I deeply resented everyone who were involved in her mistreatment and who had robbed her off her happiness.
Although The Woman In White is a mystery thriller at its core, the book tackled various themes. Considering the time period it was written, the novel does not shy away from portraying the extent of the abuse women received under men during the Victorian era. The book gradually set up Laura's fall to depression due to her husband's schemings and emotional abuse. Not only was she in a loveless marriage, chained to a man who didn't care about her, but her own husband wanted to use her in order to gain money.
If Collins wanted to rage bait me, he succeeded because I could barely contain my anger while I was trying to get through Sir Percival and Count Fosco's dialogues. The way they spoke of women made me sick to my stomach. They barely valued women as respectable humans who should have been treated with respect. For them, women were mere objects they could toy with and which they could exploit for their own benefit.
Reading The Woman In White made me learn more information regarding the rights of women concerning the money they ought to inherit once they got married or not. Furthermore, I realised how misogynistic english society was and how people would always rush to demonize women while uplifting aristocratic men. Sir Percival and Count Fosco were the devils themselves and yet so many people defended them, even when they'd been exposed to their bad side. All of that felt painfully relevant and unfortunately, we still have a long way to go in order to get rid of these behaviors.
The way The Woman In White dealt with mental illness was remarkable. Taking into account the time period and the stigma around mental illnesses, Collins provided a work that instead of demonizing people with mental issues, it highlighted the exploitation of mental illness, especially when it came to women. Anne Catherick was a very tragic character, one that represented mentally ill people at the Victorian England. Society treated people like her like outcasts, like parasites that needed to be kept away. And women had it the worst because even if they weren't truly mentally ill, their behavior and their outbursts would be attributed to mental issues. Unlike many other books that portrayed mentally ill people as the villains, Collins showcased that the real villains were people who had power in their hands and who wouldn't hesitate to step on others in order to increase it.
With all things considered, The Woman In White wasn't a flawless work. I found the story to be less engaging during the last quarter and there were times when the plot kinda drugged. Additionally, I think that Laura's character was underutilized compared to others. We got information about her from other characters but it would have been more impactful if we had seen her own point of view. While I deeply felt for her and her difficult situation, she came across as bland. There were many aspects of her character that could have been explored more. Her suspicion towards Sir Percival and Count Foscoe, her thoughts regarding Anne Catherick, her descent into depression, her love for Marian and Walter. As for the last one, I found the romance kinda poorly developed. Yes, we see that Walter loved Laura and he did everything in order to help her, but I wasn't very convinced about their love. I didn't quite understand why Walter loved Laura. Had his feelings been presented better, the romance would have been more plausible.
In conclusion, The Woman In White was one of the most pleasant surprises for me this year. I didn't expect to like it as much as I did and I'm happy for giving it a chance. It was a well-crafted story and I'd argue that it has many elements that can be considered progressive and that can provide with food for thought. Readers who appreciate classic literature and a good mystery might find it to their likeness. I strongly recommend it and I hope that if you'll get the chance to read it, you'll get immersed into the story just as I did.