A review by katiedreads
The Haunted Man and the Ghost's Bargain by Charles Dickens

4.0

I have not read a lot of Charles Dickens stories so have never heard of this one. It is similar in theme to a Christmas Carol. Christmas for Dickens seems to be for telling ghostly stories around the hearth, with a cosy fire blazing. It seems fitting to be a time for examination of your life and experience. For Victorians these ghost stories began to be associated with Christmas time. "Then, as Christmas is a time in which, of all times in the year, the memory of every remedial sorrow, wrong, and trouble in the world around us, should be active with us,"

It is at times darkly weird and bleak story for much of the time, but there is selections of Christmas festivity, remunerations on the luck and value of the characters life and a happy ever after as per a lot of Dickens. But over all the lyrical writing style and dark atmosphere is very interesting. The characters are deep, dimensional each with their own dark pasts, but with the will to be better. The concept of having your memories removed, affecting your empathy is unique. I also love how the story presents that without your memories of past changeless you cannot value your life.

I also had a 1907 version of the book re-published in 1937 with some beautiful illustrations by C.E. Brock that added to the experience.