Rachel Bridgeman's Reviews > The Unlikely Escape of Uriah Heep

'The Unlikely Escape Of Uriah Heep' is the breakout, debut novel  by HG Parry, and is available now in paperback and ebook formats wherever great books are sold-but be aware, the characters in these books will not only have you writing lists of books to track down, they will also make you want to revisit well beloved classics.

Opening with a classic exchange between 2 brothers, one sensible and one not so much, a late night phone conversation takes a twist as Rob-older, sensible lawyer brother-is appealed to by his younger sibling Charley. Thanks to his ability to bring characters from books to life, Uriah Heep, the sycophantic law clerk from Charles Dickens 'David Copperfield' has escaped.

You might think that's not really a big deal, even amongst literary characters there could be many worse people to walk from one book into another, in Dickens ouevre, surely Bill Sikes would be a bigger case for concern. I have to confess to not having read 'David Copperfield'  since my long buried GCSE studies so maybe the title didn't really immediately strike me as 'WHOA! NOT HIM!'

However, a quick internet search reveals just how reviled Uriah is and how him escaping into real of alternate fictional worlds would be a HUGE case for concern!

I was hooked from the concept of characters being able to move into other stories, being a long time fan of Jasper Fforde, but now, with an inkling of understanding, this late night call to arms took on a new relevance.

You are immediately placed within the sphere of the brothers relationship, and also how different Charley and Rob are,and as such, invested in whether Rob will actually help Charley, and whether Uriah, as well as other noted literaray characters will be returned to their rightful places between the page.

Rob and Charley are all of us, those who want to dream and believe that books could come to life, yet also well aware that they have their place in the need we humans have for escapism-you can close a book, but can you really leave characters you fall in love with, behind?

Doesn't a person like Jane Eyre take root into your soul? Or , conversely, a Mr Hyde?

And if there is a curious and frankly adorable character like Charley who is, lets face it, the voice of every reader who wished to step into the pages of a book, or bring one out and ask them questions, doesn't it follow that there is someone who is an exact opposite? 

Someone who wants to cause uproar and chaos for their own nefarious reasons?

Suddenly, Charley and Rob are facing the prospect of fighting not only to put the book characters back where they belong but also another 'summoner'.

Don't we bring characters to life every time we open a book, and with rare exceptions-for me personally, I am thinking of R.P McMurphy from 'One Flew Over The Cukoo's Nest'- that character becomes your own, to treasure, to villify and to use to escape from reality.

And this is what 'The Unlikely...' is all about-it is a love story to the books which have taken us away from the seemingly unending grind of modern day life. It's an ode to the power of fictional characters to take on a life of their own in a meta-fictional tale that is, itself, a homage to the love between siblings. No matter how they annoy, vex and frustrate you, when they ring and tell you they lost a major literary character, you have to help them.

A pure delight from start to finish, this does not require any fore knowledge of certain novels, but as someone who has read a lot of them name checked books and characters, I can say from my perspective, that H.G Parry has managed to create an alcehmical work where the characters are entirely the creation of their authors. She has not appropriated Victor Frankenstein, or Heathcliff, she has made them leap, exactly as they are expected to be, from the pages of their original texts. She manages to juggle this immense feat by balancing these with the brothers as they could quite easily take over the whole story!
It's a wondrous novel, a beautiful and escapist fantasy novel which can be read and loved by anyone who longs for time away from the real world.

Just be careful , as not all characters stay within the realms of books like they are supposed to....