The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde *****

The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde is the first novel in the Thursday Next series. Thursday is a literary detective in the (British) Special Operations Network (SO-27). This fantasy includes supernatural villains and time travelers (SO-12). Are you wondering about literary detectives? In this world, characters can leave their novel, and real people can enter novels and change the story. For example, when Jane Eyre is kidnapped, the story stops at that point. Thursday’s job is to set everything straight.

The following gives some sense of the tone and style of the book:

I was born on a Thursday, hence the name…. My mother was called Wednesday but was born on Sunday—I don’t know why—and my father had no name at all… He was always Dad to me…

Another example is Aunt Polly’s discussion with Wordsworth when visiting one of his poems:

“How long since I died?” he asked abruptly.

“Over one hundred and fifty years.”

“Really? Tell me, how did the revolution in France turn out?”

“It’s a little early to tell.”

The names are also interesting: Acheron Hades (the villain), Braxton Hicks, Jack Schitt… Mrs. Nakijima from Osaka guides tourists to Thornfield. Rochester leads tours, careful to avoid Jane. The book is written in the first person, so as long as Jane doesn’t see the tourists, the book is safe.

 Trivia (humorous speculation)

A subplot posits a 130-year war between England and Russia over the occupation of Crimea. This book was published in 2001, thirteen years before the Russian invasion of Crimea. I am not suggesting that Russia got the idea for the invasion from this book, but stranger things are suggested.

One of the important locations is Merthyr Tydfil (the f is pronounced like a v). In 1993 my daughter lost her sweatshirt at an adventure park in Merthyr Tydfil. I am also not suggesting this event contributed to the author choice of setting.

If you think you might be interested in literary humor and mystery, join Thursday on her adventure with Currier Bell, Charles Dickens, and William Shakespeare, who may or may not have written some plays.

Check out https://amazon.com/shop/influencer-20171115075 for book recommendations.