A review by laurenjpegler
The Man Who Was Thursday by G.K. Chesterton
1.0
“I am more than a devil; I am a man. I can do the one thing which Satan himself cannot do— I can die.”
The Man Who Was Thursday was yet another university read for my Terrorism and Literature module, and not surprisingly, I hated it. These kind of narratives just do not sit right with me - I don't care to read about terrorism, bombing and anarchy, etc. It just doesn't interest me, so unfortunately this novel was boring to me.
It follows the tale of Gabriel Syme who is sent by Scotland Yard to infiltrate the Central Anarchist Council. After weakening the initial contender for the position of Thursday, he is elected and is sent to the central council. However, not everything is as it seems. Syme uncovers secrets that jeopardise his investigation, and the council's plans lead to a desperate chase across Europe. But he still has to face the greatest terror, the council's leader, Sunday. As the Penguin English Library edition concludes: 'G.K Chesterton's exploration of cultural pessimism and religious convictions mixes nightmarish paranoia, parable and political humour'.
I couldn't get into this book. It was another one of those reads where I just skimmed through it. I lost interest in the plot really early on, and I just wanted to get it read as soon as possible. It got to the point where I had no idea what the story was about, so I had to google the summary before composing this review. All the characters were painfully dull, and the plot seems chaotic. Just not my cup of tea.
The Man Who Was Thursday was yet another university read for my Terrorism and Literature module, and not surprisingly, I hated it. These kind of narratives just do not sit right with me - I don't care to read about terrorism, bombing and anarchy, etc. It just doesn't interest me, so unfortunately this novel was boring to me.
It follows the tale of Gabriel Syme who is sent by Scotland Yard to infiltrate the Central Anarchist Council. After weakening the initial contender for the position of Thursday, he is elected and is sent to the central council. However, not everything is as it seems. Syme uncovers secrets that jeopardise his investigation, and the council's plans lead to a desperate chase across Europe. But he still has to face the greatest terror, the council's leader, Sunday. As the Penguin English Library edition concludes: 'G.K Chesterton's exploration of cultural pessimism and religious convictions mixes nightmarish paranoia, parable and political humour'.
I couldn't get into this book. It was another one of those reads where I just skimmed through it. I lost interest in the plot really early on, and I just wanted to get it read as soon as possible. It got to the point where I had no idea what the story was about, so I had to google the summary before composing this review. All the characters were painfully dull, and the plot seems chaotic. Just not my cup of tea.