i enjoyed this novel. I was more excited about having Wilkie Collins (one of my favorite authors) as a narrator than it being the "story" of Charles Dickens. I really didn't know what to expect, not knowing much about either authors' life apart from the fact that they were collaborators and friends. What I didn't expect, I got.

What I got was historical fiction, Victorian-esque literature, horror, and more. There were a few parts that could have been edited out - parts that reeked of "I researched it, so it is going into the novel whether or not it detracts from the actual story line". But, for the most part, I was satisfied with the novel, with the unreliable narrator, with the story line, with the history, and with the fantastical elements embedded throughout.