At first read, G.K. Chesterton's the Man Who Was Thursday is a zany mystery story filled with often surreal twists that turn more traditional thrillers on their ear. Set in a fantastic London where the ridiculous never nears the sublime, our hero, Gabriel Syme revolts against the status quo and breaks out as-normal. Yet Syme's normalcy provides the perfect foil to illustrate the insanity around him-and for Chesterton to illustrate the insanity he saw in turn-of-the-century London.
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At first read, G.K. Chesterton's the Man Who Was Thursday is a zany mystery story filled with often surreal twists that turn more traditional thrillers on their ear. Set in a fantastic London where the ridiculous never nears the sublime, our hero, Gabriel Syme revolts against the status quo and breaks out as-normal. Yet Syme's normalcy provides the perfect foil to illustrate the insanity around him-and for Chesterton to illustrate the insanity he saw in turn-of-the-century London.
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I finally bought this book after years of hearing about it. I found it slightly dated, but still a good,comical read. Basically, an undercover detective unwittingly befriends a real anarchist, who introduces him into his "underground" anarchy group/ club. The detective, having further outwitted the "real" anarchist, takes over a position the anarchist was meant for. What follows is a right-side up turn of the world the detective thought he knew. The book has a little bit of a Wonderland feel to it, but for adults. It's short, only about 150, 160 pages, so it's a quick read as well. Chersterton artfully unfolds the story and I reccommend this book to anyone wanting a quick, clever detective tale.
