Mr Dickins and his Carol

by Samantha Silva

I thought I would choose a festive book for this month but have to admit, this is not one I would normally have chosen. I am not a reader of the classics so have no particular interest in Charles Dickins, however, this book was chosen by a member of the book club I am in, so I dutifully bought it and settled down.

The premise of the story is how and why Charles Dickins wrote one of his most beloved books ‘A Christmas Carol.’ It explains the writing process, where the ideas came from, where he found his character names and traits and what was happening in his life at the time. It is a purely fictional book, though I was so convinced that the events had really happened, I had to google it to make sure! Certainly, lots of it could have been borne from events that really did happen during his lifetime but we shall never know.

Charles is on a losing streak. His latest book Martin Chuzzlewit has bombed, turning him from a much-revered writer and local celebrity, to a has been. He is tasked with reversing his fortunes by producing a Christmas themed novel but has only three weeks in which to do it. In his personal life, Charles is overwhelmed by the needs of his family – another baby having just arrived, and the need to produce money to finance his wife and children’s lavish Christmas expectations. He is also beginning to realise that his wider family take him for granted, expecting him to bail them out of their latest financial predicaments and the community around him who turn to him for charitable donations at every turn. It is all getting too much.

When his wife and children decamp to Scotland due to his attitude, Charles takes himself back to his roots to focus on writing his Christmas book. There follows a series of events that lead him to a new relationship with the beautiful but mysterious Eleanor and her son Timothy.

The novel is very evocative of gloomy London with its smog, street urchins and scandalous people and it is easy to picture Dickins walking the streets at night looking for inspiration. His first attempt at a Christmas novel is not a success in more ways than one but when the pressure is on, with his publishers threatening to call in his debts and with only days before the festive holiday, Charles finally hits on the story that is set to reclaim his family, fortune and standing in the literary world.

I found this to be a very clever book intertwining real facts with what we know about Dickins and yet creating a highly original storyline. Although it is not my usual kind of read, I did enjoy it and found that I was hoping for that happy ending to ensure that everyone got their happy Christmas ending.