Almost everything youre familiar with was first mentioned in an authorised biography written by Dickens close friend John Forster 150 years ago. Its the version of events that Dickens himself chose to make public, and newly accessible archives reveal that its crammed with gaps, inconsistencies, and outright lies. Theres the sister whose existence Dickens kept secret and the Jewish relations whose faith he strove to conceal. Theres plagiarism, fraud, and suicide. And thats only for starters. Helena Kelly retells Dickens story from his childhood to his deathbed, uncovers the truths he tried to keep hidden, and offers a fresh - and deeply troubling - perspective on the man who remains one of Britains best-known novelists.