Apart from "The Mystery of Edwin Drood," which was still unfinished when he died, Dickens's last novel was "Our Mutual Friend," published as a monthly serial in 1864-1865.
The novel has several interweaving plots, but the main character is John Harmon, who has returned to England under a false name and is believed drowned, perhaps murdered. In order to inherit his family fortune, he must marry a girl called Bella Wilfer, but does not want her to know about his wealth. After various misunderstandings they are brought together.
This plot is entangled with the story of waterman Hexam, who recovers bodies from the Thames and is accused of murdering Harmon. His daughter Lizzie is meanwhile torn between two suitors who fight over her. Both stories are set against the variety of Dicken's London with its violence, corruption and extremes of wealth and poverty; even more so than in other Dickens novels, money is central to the story and themes.
The novel has several interweaving plots, but the main character is John Harmon, who has returned to England under a false name and is believed drowned, perhaps murdered. In order to inherit his family fortune, he must marry a girl called Bella Wilfer, but does not want her to know about his wealth. After various misunderstandings they are brought together.
This plot is entangled with the story of waterman Hexam, who recovers bodies from the Thames and is accused of murdering Harmon. His daughter Lizzie is meanwhile torn between two suitors who fight over her. Both stories are set against the variety of Dicken's London with its violence, corruption and extremes of wealth and poverty; even more so than in other Dickens novels, money is central to the story and themes.