Wynfield's Kingdom by M.J. Neary

Wynfield's Kingdom by M.J. Neary tells the story of the London slums during the Victorian era, amidst the squalor, disease and horrifying conditions. I loved this book; the writing was intense, filled with great descriptions, the language was appropriate for the setting and amplified the despair of the main characters. Wynfield was taken in as a boy by a Dr. Grant, and subsequently was joined quickly by an infant girl, who would soon be named Diana by Dr. Grant, because that was the only name that popped into his head. He even admitted he gave more thought to naming his dog. Wynfield and Diana develop a twisted relationship through the years, at first platonic, then borderline romantic, then just obsessed and violent. These two reminded me much of Bill Sykes and Nancy; enslaved in poverty and desperation in Oliver Twist by Dickens. It seems everyone is stealing, taking opium just to deal with life, and slowly and irretrievably, dying. A highly entertaining, dark book with a lot of depth. If you love historical novels about London, this is a great book to jump into.