A classic Dickens novel that tells a sympathetic story of people living in poverty in Victorian society. In this particular novel, you’ve got an old man who is trying desperately to look after his granddaughter, Nell, but who ends up getting involved with some pretty horrible people in the process of trying to get his hands on some money, causing them to go on the run.
The novel opens absolutely beautifully, with a man going out to take an evening stroll and ultimately coming across Nell and her grandfather in the curiosity shop that they live in. Curiously, the style of the novel changes completely after a few chapters, because the narrator essentially removes himself from the narrative and never comes back, switching to a third person narration instead. This was a side effect of the way it was originally written (serialised in a magazine) where Dickens wanted it to be told by his existing character, Master Humphrey, who was involved with all stories in the magazine, but later decided it was best to distance the projects. It’s not a problem at all, but it’s really interesting and not something you’re likely to see in modern pieces.
Sadly, I did like the style just a little more while it still had a narrator, but I think that’s because some of the slower, more boring chapters only came after he had gone. Dickens almost always has pacing issues, and The Old Curiosity Shop is no exception – but I was pretty deeply invested in the story of Nell and her grandfather. It’s just a shame that there were quite a lot of chapters set in a law clerks’ office which I was nowhere near as interested in. It is relevant in the end, but a lot of the chapters didn’t really captivate me, especially those without Nell’s old friend, Kit.
The villain of the novel, a man named Quilp, is potentially a little problematic. It didn’t bother me enormously, but a lot is made of the fact that this amoral criminal is a dwarf, and he’s constantly described as obscenely hideous. I have no issue with the fact that he’s written a person with dwarfism as being awful, because of course there are loads of awful people with dwarfism, just like anybody else – but it’s the first time I’ve ever seen him write a dwarf character of any kind, so it’s unfortunate that he is an irredeemably terrible person. The amount of time spent describing how ugly he was didn’t feel great either. I was still able to enjoy it and take a step back from what was almost certainly a case of unpleasant 19th century ideals, but it may be less easy for other readers. I seem to recall some off-handed casual racism too.
While I didn’t find it as profound as A Tale of Two Cities, or as all-round amazing as A Christmas Carol, I did have a good time with this novel. The ending, which is somewhat controversial, was really moving for me, despite some people calling it melodrama. All in all, its a great example of Dickens being able to create lovable, engaging characters, while highlighting the inequality of his society… even if he does waffle a bit.
Score: 7.7/10
