Recently Read: The Big Over Easy by Jasper Fforde

The Big Over Easy by Jasper Fforde
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

SRP (Summer Reading Program) Why Bite: The premise is clever and funny and the story is entertaining even if parts were somewhat predictable.

This author was recommended to me, and even though I wanted to read his “Thursday Next” series as a way of introduction, I came across this novel at the library instead. Our town’s little library has spent quite some time and resources in developing a large collection of mystery novels, and the only library sponsored book club for adults focuses on that specific genre.

The novel started out slowly, introducing the characters and environment. That’s to be expected, I suppose. It soon picked up after the discovery of Humpty Dumpty’s murdered body. If it weren’t for the nursery rhyme motif, this would be a typical detective novel, with stereotypical characters, false leads, obstacles, clues that make little sense at the time, and an assortment of plot twists (some predictable, some unexpected) that lead to a outlandish conclusion after a climatic confrontation between the protagonist and antagonist. It was refreshing that it didn’t end quite the way I expected it to, though many parts along the way felt painfully predictable to me. The novel is also written with tongue-in-cheek humor that often leaves the reader in stitches.

By the way, it’s hard to write a review of a mystery novel without giving too much away. Sorry if I fail.

Fforde deftly navigates through nursery rhyme, folktale and mythological lore to weave a story that leads you down familiar paths before veering askew. For example, we expect Jack to take an axe to the beanstalk, but instead he grabs a chainsaw. Eventually the reader learns to expect the unexpected in this regard. Unfortunately it doesn’t carry over into the character development or standard elements of the basic detective story, which appears to be formulaic. There is the main protagonist, the unlikely hero with a bad track record and unassuming demeanor. There’s his partner/sidekick, a woman who would rather not be there and doesn’t like him at first. She almost betrays him, but predictably has a change of heart once she gets to know him. There’s the typically astute forensics experts who are sage when it comes to life in general, and a crew of officers/subordinates with absurd quirks but otherwise rather efficient at their work. Of course there is the self-absorbed competitive coworker who sabotages the protagonist’s case in an effort to increase his own prestige, and turns out to be the biggest coward of all despite a reputation to the contrary. Then there is the antagonistic boss who starts out against the protagonist but eventually comes around. The villains aren’t any less two dimensional and predictable. The unlikely subject turns out to be even more sinister than the more likely choice.

What kept this novel from being a run of the mill, mundane detective story was not just the nursery rhyme motif. Certainly, though, it helped. This would have just been a mediocre story with a gimmick if Fforde didn’t lead the reader through a deceptively complex plot in which multiple motives, twists and turns are discovered. Spratt doesn’t just solve one murder, but uncovers a series of underhanded activity that baffles the reader as much as it does the characters. Some of the plot twists were predictable, such as Mary’s change of heart. But the twists and turns in the investigation were often not at all predictable. Other than the reader knowing full well in the beginning that Humpty Dumpty didn’t commit suicide and that the first trail will no doubt end cold, many of the twists weren’t nearly as predictable. I knew they would eventually come across a goose, but I didn’t expect where. And I certainly would never have guessed Spongg’s master plan. So, the plot kept me on my toes, so to speak. The way Fforde starts each chapter with excerpts from fictitious publications, often poking fun at nursery rhymes, mythology, folk tales and detective stories, also greatly added to the experience. These were particularly clever and often quite funny.

I’m just going to have to put a spoiler alert on this review, aren’t I?

While I would have loved to see more debt to the main characters, this novel was a fun ride. I hope to read more Fforde, but perhaps I will take a break from “Nursery Crime” (I understand there is more to the series) and try the first novel in the “Thursday Next” at some point.


View all my reviews