The Sparkler

by Alan Humm

★★★★★ A dark hymn to pre-Victorian London in all its grotty glory.” Nick Perry, author of The Loop

Charles Dickens is a newly famous author and a man who has only just married. He thinks that he is about to become a father.

Why, then, does he go wandering London after dark and why, under the influence of a famous clown, does he begin an affair with Sarah, a barmaid who works in a North London pub?

While his own descriptions of sex barely exist, he becomes immersed in an affair so all-consuming that his life begins to fall apart. He takes to drink, he develops a liking for rough company, he even steals a necklace. Where will it end?

During a Christmas entertainment, Dickens, Sarah and his wife edge towards a confrontation that has the potential to ruin him for ever.

268 pages, Paperback

Published May 28, 2024

About the author

Alan Humm is the editor of the arts journal One Hand Clapping. His first novel, "The Sparkler", is about the young Charles Dickens. Specifically it's about his relationship with women: his complicated relationship not only with his wife and with his sister-in-law but with sex itself.

Humm has also written two collections of poetry: "A Brief and Biased History of Love" (out now with Culture Matters) and "My Father is Calling the Neighbours Names". His second novel, "Rough Music", follows a journalist and a Labour politician from 1945 to the early noughties and he is currently writing a book about an ’80s pop band.

Reviews

[Deacon Tom (Feeling Better) · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting piece of historical fiction. The descriptions of Victorian London were very inviting and invited me to continue and the plot line struggles at times.

Lots of activities throughout the book made the main character, Charles very interesting. His sexuality is well documented to his dismay.

Overall a good read but I did have a bit of a struggle following the story in the middle. It recovers nicely in the end.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have always loved the works of Charles Dickens so was drawn to read The Sparkler, a historical fiction covering the life of Dickens as a young man. He is just married and expecting his first child when the novel begins. Author Alan Humm captures the time period well and I was drawn into the dark streets, dank pubs and raucous behaviour that was prevalent among London’s lower classes at that time. This was juxtaposed against the home Dickens kept with his young wife and her sister, and the feverish need he had to make a great name for himself. Dickens lived two lives between the two environments. He becomes obsessed with a barmaid and his affair with her causes him to make some very poor decisions. Where will it all end? Will the great name Dickens hopes to achieve for himself come to pass or will it all come crashing down? Although I found the story interesting it was hard to follow and I wasn’t always sure I understood what was happening. What I thought was most well done was how Humm captured the feverish and frenzied way that Dickens lived at this point in his life. Roaming the streets all hours of the night, drinking, his affair, all while trying to keep up with the demand of the serials he was writing and keeping his family cared for and their expenses paid. He really seemed almost manic at times. I have always preferred to think of Charles Dickens personal life in a much better light than it probably deserves. But this book shows the darker side of him. I think that those who know his works and some of his biographical information would probably find this interesting to read. 3.5 stars.
I received an advance copy for free and leave this review voluntarily.

[Tianne Shaw · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This was not the most interesting read despite the setting sounding different. It was hard to keep going as it was more what a drunk filthy man who thought he was a dandy. It focussed on his displeasure with his home life seeking what he lusted for.

[Jessica Tvordi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Poet Alan Humm's debut novel, The Sparkler, offers a brief yet compelling glimpse into the young Charles Dickens's complex relationships with three fascinating women—his wife Catherine, her sister Mary, and barmaid/actress, Sarah. The novel is, in the words of its narrator, "both grave and suitably comic" as Dickens grapples with the consequences of an ill-advised dalliance while roaming London for writing inspiration. The Sparkler could have been a tiresome tale of yet another man who couldn’t help himself, both with women and other enticements, but Humm deftly—and poetically—explores the difficulties that arise when a writer becomes too immersed in his subject, a glutton of experience for the sake of art. I'm not always a fan of novels about writers, but this one charmed me entirely.

[Michael Bully · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is certainly quality writing. Alan Humm uses fiction as a means of exploring what he considers to be 'gaps' in historians' knowledge of Dickens's life: A surprising challenge at first as Dickens has had so many biographers, and some potential readers may feel that the novel veers towards the 'unknowable' Dickens.At any rate, Mr Humm has cited the two books that have inspired him in creating 'The Sparkler' as being 'Becoming Dickens-The Invention of a Novelist' by Robert Douglas-Fairhurst and 'The Pantomime Life of Joseph Grimaldi, Laughter, Madness and 'The Story of Britain's Greatest Comedian' by Andrew Mconell Stott. And there is a clue in the title of the first work. Dickens has become a familiar figure to many people, but just like any individual, past or present, there are going to be inner drives and impulses which may be hidden even from the keenest of researchers.

We are introduced to Dickens as a young but perhaps not so happily married writer who can't stop wandering into the more disreputable London districts. Presumably this would be the Summer of 1836 but the text is not dated as such. 'Sketches by Boz' was published at the start of that year, featuring some 56 extracts of journalism from 1833 onward. So Dickens is on the threshold of his fame but plagued by a certain restlessness, and is soon tempted to sleep with other women besides his wife Catherine, and even remembers a brothel.

There are a series of scenes in a run down pub where Dickens meets the former clown Grimaldi, who by now is riddled with arthritis, he was to die in 1837. This scene is fictionalised; though Dickens, watched Grimaldi act in a pantomime when he was a child, here Dickens remembers Grimaldi's duck walk, which he then imitates, in fact there appears to be no record of the two men actually meeting. Dickens was paid 300 pounds to rescue a botched version of Grimaldi's memoirs in 1837 but the resulting work is not highly thought of. And in this novel Dickens starts an affair with a quite feisty barmaid whom he has been stalking.Their affair is quite chaotic and entertaining.However, the only weakness in the novel appears. Dickens and Sarah the barmaid make love on a number of occasions with seemingly no concerns of unwanted pregnancy. A strange stance that many historical novelists adopt.

The directions in which the plot line takes the reader are quite appealing, not all time bound by any means. The figure of the towering intellectual who can't sort out their love life, the successful male professional who is led by their penis into comic and /or dangerous situations, both converge as Dickens becomes part aspiring genius/ part clown.

The novel peaks with Dickens committing a crime, which I am not going to divulge. And the law of unintended consequences starts to impact....

[Bahar · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm a fan of biofiction, especially neo-Victorian works, so I was eager to delve into Alan Humm's take on Charles Dickens in The Sparkler. Humm skillfully brings to life the dark, gritty streets and lively taverns of Victorian London, immersing the reader in the world of the lower classes.

The novel follows a young, ambitious Dickens, newly married and determined to make a name for himself in the literary world. Humm does a commendable job of portraying Dickens's dual life, torn between his public persona and his private struggles. However, his affair with a barmaid leads him down a path of poor decisions, revealing a darker side to his character.

The narrative portrays Dickens in a different light, revealing a darker side of his character. While I appreciate this approach and don’t expect Dickens to be idolized, I was disappointed by the superficial exploration of his darker tendencies. I had hoped for a more detailed depiction of the dark corners of his mind, rather than a flat imagining of his animalistic urges. The concept of adding a bestial/carnal dimension to Dickens is intriguing but, in this case, poorly executed.

I also found the portrayal of Dickens's more animalistic urges to be an interesting concept, but it was executed in a way that felt flat and lacking in nuance. A deeper exploration of the darker corners of Dickens's mind would have added more depth to his character and made for a more compelling read.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Andrew Verlaine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This historical novel makes the interesting choice of following Charles Dickens as the author is on the cusp of fame, and when his wife has recently had a baby. Dickens embarks on an affair, and his life comes at risk of unravelling, with the different strands of his life coming together at a theatrical Christmas event Dickens is hosting at his home. I get the impression that Humm found it somewhat fraught researching a real-life person and his relationships to use for this book, but that ultimately he went with the approach of taking the knowledge he had and running with it to create a fictitious work, so I think one shouldn't take everything in this as fact.

As one might expect from Humm, who has also published poetry, the prose is very strong. The story goes into some very interesting psychological depth about Dickens himself and from his wife's point-of-view as well, as well as the relationships between the various characters. Although the reader doesn't spend much time in the head of the woman with whom Dickens has an affair, she is also an interesting character with a strong sense of voice, and the class difference between her and Dickens is explored in an interesting way. Some readers might find it frustrating that Dickens himself sometimes lacks insight into his own motivations, but I think this is realistic and true to the character of Dickens that Humm has created.

This is a rich and interesting novel, and the setting of pre-Victorian London is well captured. With December coming in, this could make an interesting read for Christmas!

[Ann Epstein · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dancing with Dickens – Some authors claim their characters write themselves. In The Sparkler, by Alan Humm, Charles Dickens’s characters write the famous author. Dickens takes on the personae of the figures — especially the colorful lower class ones — that he strives to put on paper. They bring him to life as much as he gives life to them. Humm’s entertaining fictional biography takes an imaginative dive into the head of the esteemed writer who wants to add “sparkle” to his own circumstances as he navigates the seedy streets of London, juggles his responsibilities to his expecting wife and her younger sister, and indulges his obsession with his mistress. In scenes as vivid as Dickens’s writing, Humm evokes a character who is often clever, sometimes pitiable, and equally baffling to himself and others. As an author myself (see my Goodreads author page https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...), who has also written fictional biographies, I admire Humm’s ability to create a false yet wholly believable narrative about a public figure. The Sparkler will delight readers and, were Charles Dickens still alive, the novel would greatly amuse him too.

[Andrew Atkinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good read and one that maintains your interest right to the end to see how the author develops the plot and characters. One problem of a fictionalised account of someone we think we know is that our image is often at variance with the author’s. So, the Dickens in this book is not particularly likeable and his behaviour can leave some readers somewhat dissatisfied. For sure, we know Dickens roved the streets and had a restless nature - characteristics that aided his story-telling - but some of his antics in this version are surprising. The author’s descriptions of the dark side of London of the times are vividly portrayed. All-in-all, a book to recommend and not just for Dickensians.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Christine · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found it very difficult to get into this novel. I know it is fiction, but Dickens's character did not convince me. I actually disliked him in this story whereas I love his writing! I was not able to take him seriously. I could not relate to his wife either. The writing style did not appeal to me: the descriptions of London did not leave the atmospheric touch the town has in Dickens 's novels. The portrait of the novelist felt too far from the real person. I realize though how difficult it is to create a non-fiction character turned into a fictionalised one.
I received a digital copy of this novel from BookSirens and I am leaving voluntarily an honest review.

[Annalisa Crawford · Rating 5 out of 5]

With The Sparkler, Alan Humm has created a dense and atmospheric novel, placing Charles Dickens as an obsessive, chaotic idealist. Just as in a Dicken's novel, the dirty Victorian streets and back alley bars are sumptuous in detail, and the characters are large and looming. This fictional tale of Dickens' life as a newly-wed certainly sparkles.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Carol McKay · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Sparkler is a work of fiction, rather than a factual biography, based on part of the life of Charles Dickens, and I have to say, it is a sparkling read. It’s glittering and luminous in terms of story, characterisation and writing style.

Through Alan Humm’s prose we follow Dickens, the restless, newly married, optimistic, ambitious young man who is fully committed to becoming a famous writer. He’s mercurial and impulsive, trawling the grimiest streets of Victorian London by gaslight, obsessed with Sarah, who’s a bar-maid, sometime prostitute, fiercely independent woman. He’s also obsessed with the theatre, and writing, and above all, in making his name. Obsession doesn’t quite reach his relationship with his wife, and this is an interesting aspect of the story.

Alan Humm has crafted his novel meticulously drawing on conflicts and notoriety attached to the man himself. The Dickens in The Sparkler seems to be all ‘me, me, me’. Tempering this is Humm’s almost tender portrayal of him tormented by memories of being a young lad feeling brutalised and adrift in the harsh streets of the city, and suffering anxieties over loss of home, security – and status. There’s a lot to think about in this novel. It’s a very satisfying read, and I definitely recommend it.

I was given an advance review copy of this book and thoroughly enjoyed it. I blogged about it (including a Q&A with author Alan Humm) here - https://carolmckay.blogspot.com/2024/...

[Derek Harvey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my. What a wonderful book. Humm exactly captures early nineteenth century England, I think, and his portrayal of Dickens is subtle and, I thought, very sympathetic. Lots of terrific imagery too. Well worth a read.

I got an early review copy and am reviewing this voluntarily.

[Gillian Jenvey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book. It is a fictional take on
a fascinating and darker side of Dickens. The novel is incredibly atmospheric (indeed filmic - screenwriters, get ready!) This novel demands your attention and, if you give it, you will be provided with a highly rewarding read .