First published 1838
Oliver Twist has known nothing but hunger and cruelty in the workhouse when he finally breaks free and flees to London. The city offers no refuge. Instead, Oliver falls into the hands of Fagin, who runs a gang of child pickpockets from his grimy den. The boy finds himself trapped between two worlds: the respectable society that cast him out and the criminal underworld that now claims him. Fagin's crew includes the clever Artful Dodger and the brutal Bill Sikes, whose lover Nancy becomes torn between loyalty to the gang and sympathy for Oliver. As Oliver struggles to escape this life of crime, he discovers that his past holds secrets that powerful people will kill to protect. The boy must navigate a London where poverty and wealth exist side by side, where children are expendable, and where one wrong step could mean death.
Genres: fiction, historical-fiction, mystery, crime, poverty, 19th-century
Vibes: dark, emotional, suspenseful
Tropes: found-family, rags-to-riches
Setting: London
Period: 19th-Century
608 pages · Paperback · Penguin Books
Content warnings: child-abuse, violence