Mary Reilly (novel)

Lore & Background

The novel centers on Mary Reilly, a young housemaid in the employ of Dr. Henry Jekyll. She falls in love with her master, while his assistant Edward Hyde is portrayed as her nemesis. The story adds more details and substance to Stevenson's original by telling it from Mary's unique viewpoint.

Reader's Guide

Mary Reilly is significant as a parallel novel that reimagines a classic work from a marginalized character's perspective. It was nominated for both the Nebula Award for Best Novel in 1990 and the World Fantasy Award for Best Novel in 1991. Critical reception highlighted its creative achievement: John Crowley in The New York Times called it 'an achievement - creativity skating exhilaratingly on thin ice,' while Judith Freeman of the Los Angeles Times wrote that it 'deserves to become a companion of its inspiration' and that both novels 'fit together like two hands whose fingers are intertwined.' Kirkus Reviews noted the novel's detailed re-creation of Victorian life and its wise exploration of Mary's soul, though it suggested that Hyde's off-page rampages lessened his monstrousness. The novel later served as the basis for a 1996 film starring Julia Roberts.

Did You Know?

• The novel was nominated for the Nebula Award for Best Novel in 1990.
• It was also nominated for the World Fantasy Award for Best Novel in 1991.
• The novel was adapted into a 1996 film starring Julia Roberts in the title role.
• John Crowley of The New York Times described the novel as 'an achievement - creativity skating exhilaratingly on thin ice.'