Dombey and Son - Charles Dickens

Published by Thomas Nelson and Sons Publishers, Ltd: Edinburgh, date unknown.

First published 1848.

Let's get this out of the way: Mr Dombey is a jerk. So much of what happens for the bad I this novel could have been avoided if Mr Dombey was more understanding, less proud, and more compassionate. There are numerous times during the book where I found myself frustrated with Mr Dombey, to the point of audible reactions.

And that in itself is a sign that the book is well written. Dickens, as always, is a master storyteller, and we feel the intended frustration towards Dombey, pity for Florence and little Paul, mirth about Captain Cuttle or Mr Toots and dislike towards James Carker...

Dombey and Son tells the story of Mr Dombey and his children: the titular son Paul (sickly, small, yet beloved by his father and destined for greatness) and his older sister Florence (overlooked yet devoted to her father). As the story progresses various characters provide the main perspective of the narrative, only to be sidelined by other events in the plot. Characters who seem important are suddenly found to be not so, or are killed off suddenly, while new characters are forever being introduced; in true Dickens fashion we are still meeting major players in the overarching story hundreds of pages into the book.

Dickens was a Victorian era author and as such there are occasionally moral or social differences to our modern era that can shape the plot in unexpected ways. As someone who has read a number of his works I am used to them, and found myself foreboding what the "morality of the day" might mean for the outcome of various characters. And, without spoiling too much, there are some characters who meet era-appropriate endings based on their decisions. Yet certain other elements of the story zigged when I thought they were going to zag, and this added some extra intrigue to the plot.

When reading Dickens, you are often presented with an over-abundance of plots. My favourite plot in Dombey and Son is the Florence story, which although tragic in many regards, is also a story of a kind girl trying to find love from those closest to her. Everything with Captain Cuttle and Mr Toots also finds a way to amuse. Yet sometimes the other main stories can drag a little (something that comes with the territory in a Dickens work, but perhaps more noticeable for me in this one). 

I enjoyed this work as a fan of Dickens, but its not among his top works for me.

Completed 17 April 2020.

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