The strange case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

About the book

Mr Utterson is reluctant to judge his friends, but a troubling story about Edward Hyde and an unusual provision in Dr Jekyll's will draw him into investigation. Doors, documents, interrupted conversations, and witnesses offer partial clues to a relationship nobody seems willing to explain. Stevenson keeps the reader close to a world of professional reputation and habitual discretion, making silence itself a source of suspense. The short narrative gradually changes the meaning of its earlier details through accounts withheld until the people involved can no longer control them. Its darkness lies partly in the wish to separate private desire from public identity. Even for readers familiar with the famous premise, the careful management of perspective makes this an absorbing study of concealment and responsibility.

• Public and private identity
• Secrecy
• Responsibility

Why read it

For the precision of a mystery whose structure remains rewarding even when its premise is familiar.

English text