The Suicide Club by Robert Louis Stevenson

I came across The Suicide Club in a Dover catalogue. I had never heard of the title before, but the fact that it was written by Robert Louis Stevenson drew me in right away. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is one of the creepiest novels I've ever read, and an old favorite of mine. I really enjoyed Treasure Island as well. I thought that this novel, with it's provocative title and mysterious cover, might be another suspenseful and exciting adventure, so I ordered it.

When it arrived at my house, I was surprised to see how short it was. At just 60 pages, The Suicide Club is quick read. I was also surprised to note that it wasn't really a novel, but a collection of three interrelated short stories. None of those things are necessarily bad, it was just different than what I was expecting. I was definitely still intrigued by it. I stuck it on my bookshelf for a while, and decided to finally give it a shot this month.

The story concerns a mysterious group of gentlemen that meet in secret nightly. Each of these men want to end their lives. Their reasons for doing so are varied, but they do share one thing in common - a lack of courage to go through with the act themselves. As such, they have joined together in what they call the Suicide Club. Each night, participants come to the club and are dealt playing cards. The first man who receives the ace of spades is the one who will die. The first man who receives the ace of clubs is the one that must kill him. In this way, each man will eventually have their turn to die without having to actually commit the act upon himself.

The first story in the collection, "Story of the Young Man with the Cream Tarts," begins with Prince Florizel of Bohemia and his devoted aide, Colonel Geraldine, out exploring London incognito. They were hoping to find some random adventures to amuse themselves with, but end up finding the Suicide Club instead. They join the group under false names, just to see what it is like inside, but end up being drawn into its dark secrets. Determined to put an end to the shady organization, Florizel and Geraldine put a plan into motion to take down it's mysterious and murderous president. The following two stories, "Story of the Physician and the Saratoga Trunk" and "The Adventure of the Hansom Cab," show how Florizel's plot to bring down the club turns out.

This little collection was billed as being full of "heart-stopping drama" and suspense, but I have to admit that it fell rather flat for me. It's length was too short to allow any type of complex mystery to develop, and most of the action scenes in it took place off-page. This includes the final showdown, in which Florizel and the Suicide Club President have a sword fight outside while the narrator sits in a room wondering about what's happening. The first story with it's slow unveiling of how the club worked was it's strongest installment, but the followup stories were dull and uninspired. Both were told from the perspective of outside characters who viewed the action without understanding it, leaving a lot of gaps in the narrative. So many details were left unexplained that I'm still confused as to exactly what Florizel's plan was and how he executed it.

Florizel's motivations to end the club were left similarly vague. Aside from the broad idea that suicide and murder are wrong, it's unclear as to why Florizel felt like he had to get involved in the situation in the first place. After being at the club for an hour or so, taking it down becomes his personal crusade - more important that preserving his own life so that he can continue ruling Bohemia, even. There wasn't enough buildup for me to understand why he threw himself into the fray the way he did.

Though I felt many details were lacking, I do understand that The Suicide Club is a series of short stories, so Stevenson wouldn't have wanted to include a copious amount of extra information. Florizel is simply a hero that does heroic things. While I was hoping for a more nuanced approach to the adventure, I get it. One aspect of the story that I can't forgive, however, is the way the president of the club was characterized. A creepy story needs a great villain, and unfortunately, there isn't one here.

The Suicide Club president, whom Florizel feels an immediate hatred for, is consistently described as a deplorable villain and murderer. However, the only thing he really does in the beginning of the story is facilitate the wishes of his club members, so I failed to understand why he was described in such strong terms at the outset. It feels strange to defend a murderer, but everyone in the club was there of their own free will, so I was unable to muster up the feelings of anger or dislike for the man that I was supposed to have. Indeed, it is only after Florizel goes about dismantling the club that the president begins to behave as a criminal, so one could potentially make the argument that Florizel himself is the one responsible for a lot of those crimes. As most of the plot is focused on pinning down and executing this president, my lack of enthusiasm for his capture limited how much I could enjoy the story. There just wasn't enough development of his character for me to become engaged in what was going on. Pieces were missing.

The concept behind The Suicide Club was interesting, but its execution was ultimately lacking. Missing plot details and weak characterization left me wanting more. It was nice to explore one of Stevenson's lesser-known works, but I didn't feel like this one was particularly special. While I'm always happy to read the classics, this is one that I doubt I'll remember later on. 

Challenge Tally 

Classics Club Challenge (#93 on my list): 17/100

TBR Challenge: (previously owned) 44/60

Total Books Read in 2017: 56