Book Review: The Invisible Man

The Invisible Man by H. G. Wells

The Invisible Man is a classic that I had not read and when I was given it as a part of a blind book date that I participated in. I was very grateful as it was short and could easily be read in a weekend, however by the end I was sad that the story wasn’t drawn out further. It was excellent and I give it two thumbs up!

The book begins with a mysterious stranger arriving in a small town. From the start the stranger seems to be a very troubled man, demonstrating countless times intense episodes of uncontrollable rage. He is particularly infuriated by judgement, and I will go as far to say, people in general. He isolates himself purposefully, (I trying very hard not to make a Corona virus joke…) in order to protect himself as an “other”; a person that has something about them which will cause them to be different or to stand out from other people.

If this were written nowadays, I would be encouraging The Invisible Man as an “other” to be his true self. There will always be people that will oppose you, but you are shutting yourself off to the people who would welcome and love you (in a very idealised nutshell). However, this book was written in 1897, and at that time being anything but a societal norm was dangerous. People would be persecuted and hunted down, and that is exactly how this magnificent story unfolds.

I found The Invisible Man to be a brilliant read; it was revolutionary for its time. It paints the protagonist as a sadistic and malicious character, whilst simultaneously making the reader empathetic to his situation, H. G. Wells has done well to balance both. Do not get me wrong, The Invisible Man is an “arse”, but he is chased away by the people around him that are simply terrified of the unknown. What makes this an intriguing story is that the hunted also becomes the hunter. The story reaches its climax, the tension builds beautifully, and grips the reader. It is fast paced and a delight to read. The devastating blow of being betrayed by one of the only people you trust is the nail-in-the-coffin for this heart-wrenching saga. Therefore, I suggest you stop what you are reading right now and go and pick up a copy. It can be done in a day!