First published 1865
John Harmon returns to London to claim his father's fortune, built from dust heaps and garbage. The inheritance comes with a condition: he must marry Bella Wilfer, a woman he has never met. When Harmon sees her mercenary nature, he stages his own death and assumes a false identity. The authorities pull a body from the Thames, believing it to be Harmon. His father's wealth passes to Mr. Boffin, the loyal dustman who worked for the family. Harmon takes a job with Boffin under his assumed name, watching as sudden riches transform the kind man into someone he barely recognizes. Meanwhile, Bella lives with the Boffins, growing more grasping and materialistic. Along the Thames, Gaffer Hexam scavenges corpses from the water for profit. The social climbing Veneerings throw elaborate parties, while the devious Silas Wegg plots to swindle Boffin. Harmon must navigate this world of greed and deception while hiding his true identity. His greatest challenge becomes winning Bella's love without revealing who he really is or the fortune that awaits him.
Genres: fiction, historical-fiction, mystery, 19th-century
Vibes: dark, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, hidden-identity
Setting: London, Thames
Period: 19th-Century
918 pages · Paperback · Penguin Classics