This was a thoroughly delightful read. I’ve read some short stories over the past few years, but I haven’t picked up a full-length book for any purpose other than school or personal study since the summer of 2008. For many reasons, I couldn’t have picked anything better as my first just-for-fun book in years.
First, I was happy to return to the writing style of Chesterton. He is much better at keeping a line through a plot than through theology. I didn’t feel like I was running around in circles. But even in the more circuitous Orthodoxy, there was something about his use of language that I found wonderful. I don’t exactly know how to describe it.
(Warning! Spoilers below!)
As far as the plot goes, this book wins again. I was a little concerned at first. I feared I had figured everything out too early on. I guessed that Symes would become Thursday rather than Gregory. I knew right away that Sunday was the man in the dark room who started the whole philosophical police force. Once I learned that Monday was an officer, I predicted that the rest would also be undercover cops. I could not read the ensuing chapters seriously. None of their run-ins in the village bothered me in the least, because I was pretty sure I knew how everything would end. It was well-written enough that I enjoyed reading it even though I wasn’t surprised.
And then came the last few chapters. What on earth? While I was right about my predictions, I had no way at all of guessing the final ending to this book. I’m still not entirely sure what happened and what it meant. I’ll probably re-read the end again at some point to more thoroughly digest it. It’s short enough that I could probably even find the time to read the whole thing over again on Thanksgiving break or something.
Book Information
Title: The Man Who Was Thursday
Author: G.K. Chesterton
Year Published: 1908
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