This post will contain several spoilers, so I will say this here before I get into any: The Man Who Was Thursday, by G.K. Chesterton, is a fantastic book that you should read right away. At first, I wasn’t even sure about what to talk about because it actually might be one of my new favorites. Its characters are interesting and have depth, the prose gets you to think without distracting you from the story, it’s consistently exciting, and it’s one of the few books that occasionally made me laugh out loud. Seriously, go out, buy it, and read it before going any further from this sentence. It’s only 200 pages, and I’ve got time.
Yeah, you probably didn’t listen. Fudge Cookies. Well, at this point, don’t say I didn’t warn you. Major Spoilers on the port bow.
One interesting thing happened when I was reading this: I guessed the running plot twist/ gag. It was around the time the first policeman, de Worms, was revealed. I’m not even that sure what clues led me to that point; I guess I just figured it would be funny if it did work out like that. And lo, it happened as such. It was a new sensation for me, since I’ve only recently tried guessing the outcomes while reading books (a reason mystery novels don’t often work for me). It surprised me that, against all odds, I was right and everyone from Monday to Saturday was a cop. I was even right with Sunday, as I was on the fence about his status (shut up, I’m counting that one).
That’s not the interesting bit, though. The interesting part is how this didn’t affect my enjoyment at the book. What’s even weirder is that it didn’t even dampen the surprise/humor when each twist was revealed.
I’ll totally spoil another book in this upcoming paragraph to provide a contrast. Still new at this guessing game, I guessed correctly who the thief was in The Moonstone nearly as soon as the titular object was stolen. My suspicions held true throughout the course of the tale, one of the many things that made it a boring, arduous read. And although I was pleasantly stupefied when I found out I was only half-correct (in the sense that Franklin didn’t intend on taking it), I don’t think it was worth the 400+ pages to get there.
So what did TMWWT do right in this regard? One aspect that gave it an advantage over The Moonstone, by Wilkie Collins was the use of comedy. Each character groaned when another policeman was revealed after a while, essentially acting as an audience surrogate each time they cried, “Seriously? This again?” Lampshading the twist like that not only allows for a connection with the audience, but it remains something that the characters would do in that situation. And it got slightly funnier each time it happened, showing the humor available in repetition.
Secondly, it used escalation and good pacing effectively with each case. With each upcoming ‘anarchist,’ it seemed to be less likely that he’d reveal himself to be on the same side as our protagonist. And, as each situation varied in approach and mood, there were no patterns to be detected. The pacing in Moonstone would be hard-pressed to outrun a cheetah that’s been gutted and stuffed with gravy, unlike this tale.
And finally, the story could continue on thematically for each case if the opposite were true. Take, for example, the scene where Syme and de Worms confront Dr. Bull and Syme decides to throw caution to the wind and reveal that he’s a cop. Now, we know where it goes in the book, but imagine the alternative. It would be pretty funny for Dr. Bull to explain that he actually was an anarchist and he had no idea why they’d think otherwise. A character arc could develop for Syme where he starts to see consequences for his rashness. And, most importantly, it doesn’t stop the plot. There were a lot of factors that could still be explored in that scene if I was proven wrong.
Looking back, The Moonstone might not be a fair comparison- maybe I just really hated the book and wanted an excuse to bash it. And I’m not saying that the build up to who-done-it is bad for all mystery novels. I just think the pacing and the delivery of each twist in The Man Who Was Thursday was much more effective by using good comedy, pacing, and situations to make it unpredictable. And it allows for a better second read. Some of the fun of a mystery novel is taken away if you know the twist. Unless it’s a great one, like The Man Who Was Thursday could arguably qualify as. I’m not even sure to call it a comedy, adventure, mystery, awesome, etc., but I know it’s well worth your time to check it out.
Huh. I’ve been left with a lot of surplus bile, so I’ll close with this. Remember the last two pages? Utter BS. I’ve always hated that kind of plot twist, even if it’s barely ambiguous like this one. Sunday hijacking an elephant is hilarious, and I’ll eat someone else's hat if that didn’t happen in my world. Seriously, screw that epilogue. And it doesn’t even connect thematically or logically well with the main blog post book anyways.
