Out With Time

When Charles Dickens rescued Oliver Twist from the clutches of Victorian depravity he created villains and victims to serve his purpose. Out With Time gives some of those maligned characters a chance to redeem themselves and tell their own story. To Dickens, Mr Bumble was the pompous beadle and Oliver's tormentor; Nancy was Oliver's protector. In Out With Time we learn that Nancy is not simply a hapless victim but a fighter for what is right. Mr Bumble, it must be conceded, does only what he can.

Together, Nancy and Bumble are an odd couple who make a formidable team as they create their own identities independent of the author. Even before Oliver makes his appearance, we see the couple wrestling with racism, sexism and even leading the way in a refugee crisis. Preserved in a literary ox-bow lake from the flow of mainstream time, there are curious resonances with our modern era, including sly references to the internet and more. Out With Time is a love letter to the past, telling us that our memories live forever in their own time.