Some thoroughfares bulge with black mud were pools of fetid water have collected, while others are narrow and meandering. A sickly, rotten stench rises from the streets and the rain-bloated gutters. ‘here the houses spill over each other dishevelled and ugly. Rebekah Brock, by contrast, was a character I was able to root for as she was portrayed as genuinely complex and multifaceted. This might be due to the narrative feeling somewhat rushed, meaning that the cultivation of feelings and the development of characters seemed unrealistic. Hester, in particular, was frustrating at times, seeming rather weak and also obsessive.

The narrative is driven by female characters and yet at times the presentation of these women came across as rather two-dimensional.

Marriage is emphasised but an upperclass woman is able to confront police officers and travel largely unchaperoned, which would have been highly unlikely. However, given the period in which the book is set, the women seem to have a greater freedom of movement and opportunity than might be expected. Women are presented as somewhat vulnerable compared to their male counterparts, but their strength is also highlighted which I appreciated. Gender is another theme that is central to ‘The Wicked Cometh’ and, in my opinion, is a theme that could have been made more apparent. The crossing of class boundaries for love or personal gain is another element to this theme of class that appears several times throughout the story. Hester shows how anyone can be affected by poverty, an idea echoed in the treatment of the upper class family she encounters. In trying to escape the limits of her circumstances she encounters intrigue and depravity.Ĭlass is an important theme throughout the book. The story is set in the year 1831 and follows the character of Hester White, a girl who was born into a comfortable life but gradually fell through the levels of society until she landed in the slums of London. This book is Carlin’s debut novel and it is certainly an interesting tale.

The wicked cometh laura carlin