Book Review: The Wicked Boy

I have a master's degree in history, with an emphasis on Victorian British history. Long ago, in a world far, far away, with a personality long-gone, I aspired to write books about British history. I was interested in Dickens and his commentary on society. I was interested in the orphan problem. For my degree, I wrote a 37 page paper titled, "The Integration of Law and Religion in 19th Century Britain." I remember immersing myself in Victorian criminal cases. The bibliography of my paper cited many titles with "murder" as a keyword.

Oh, how I wish I had written this book, The Wicked Boy: An Infamous Murder in Victorian London. Kate Summerscale provides a riveting tale and brings the story of this tragic lad to life. On a scorching July day in 1895, two brothers (Robert and Nattie Coombes) head to a cricket match after telling a neighbor that their mother has gone away. The true story of their mother's whereabouts doesn't come out for over a week, when Robert confesses to stabbing her in her bed. It is the kind of crime you cannot understand or accept. How could an adolescent boy do such a thing? How could he feel no remorse as he spins around town attending sports events, pawning trinkets, and sleeping in the same house, knowing full well his mother's corpse is rotting in an upstairs room?

Was this the result of reading so-called "penny-dreadfuls" or a case of temporary insanity? This question alone brings the case into modern relevance. Many assumed the boy's choice of literature led to his callous disregard for life. Others argued against such influence. The author cited a Pall Mall Gazette article declaring, "In every other age and class man is held responsible for his reading, and not reading responsible for man. The books a man or woman reads are less the making of character that the expression of it." When the jury pronounced Robert Coombes guilty, but insane, they shipped him to Broadmoor Asylum (the same asylum holding the murderous Dr. Miner, from The Professor and The Madman).

The rest of the book focuses on Robert's life after his committal. While I never grasped what motivated this boy to commit such an atrocity, it was a fascinating (if morbid) read - excellent narrative non-fiction. Robert had a profitable life, even saving many other lives. At one point, authorities remanded him to a Salvation Army colony (interesting). Summerscale's research is thorough and her writing is engaging. She not only outlines the story but also provides sufficient backdrop and commentary on the time. I will happily seek further historical crime books by Kate Summerscale (indeed, The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher, is available in both book and movie form on Hoopla).