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.


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Recently Read: From the Dust Returned by Ray Bradbury

From the Dust Returned by Ray Bradbury
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

SRP (Summer Reading Program) Why Bite: This highly imaginative novel is a lyrical portrait of an intriguing family with a rather simplistic plot.

Written over his lifetime in bits and pieces, Ray Bradbury wanted From the Dust Returned to be the Halloween equivalent to A Christmas Carol, a holiday tradition reread every year. While this was never achieved, the story is intriguing and clearly a labor of love. I just wish it was a little less laborious to read. The writing here is deeply philosophical in nature, almost lyrical, but overly flowery and poetic. Honestly, it tries a little too hard to be profound. Occasionally a passage would be so thick I’d have to reread it more carefully to try to comprehend whatever Bradbury was trying to convey to the reader. Still, the concept, characters and story lines are creative and interesting, reminding me of the work of Tim Burton. The fact that the cover art was created by Charles Addams, with whom Bradbury had an arrangement to illustrate the novel when finished, just adds to the overall feel of the novel. Sadly, Addams, creator of the iconic “Addams Family,” passed away before this agreement could be realized.

I found the plot concept for this novel fascinating. The never dying, supernatural creatures can only live as long as people believe in the unseen. Their very existence is threatened by atheism. Bradbury, as usual, excels in character development, providing a detailed portrait of each member of the family. Passages are strangely incredibly descriptive yet vague. I found myself rereading passages (again) to try to get a better mental picture. Bradbury waxes poetic quite often throughout the novel, which makes for some rather beautiful passages that ultimately say very little. The overall plot itself is weak, as the novel is really a series of vignettes about the various characters. However, the smaller storylines within the vignettes are complete and engrossing. This is because the novel was pieced together from short stories about the Elliott family, whose family name is never once mentioned in the novel itself, written over the span of many years. Yet the novel flows naturally as Bradbury masterfully weaves continuity throughout and the reader is left with no loose ends. The story doesn’t end in the traditional way, but it hardly matters as Bradbury wraps up the immediate storylines nicely. The story is as immortal as the Family and continues into infinity, as long as people continue to believe in the unbelievable. The stories of the House and the Homecoming end as Timothy’s role as historian and caretaker begins.

Bradbury included an Afterward that details the process of the creation of this novel. It is worth the read and gives insight into the inspiration for the stories.

I really wanted to give this novel four stars, but I just couldn’t bring myself to do it. Bradbury’s imagination is really amazing. Many of the ideas in the book are concepts I have never thought of, and are unique in the world of the genre. The vagueness plays into this a little. The reader no doubt assumes that Mother and Father are vampires, but Bradbury never comes out and says it. Perhaps they are, or perhaps they are something else entirely. This allows for interaction with the reader’s imagination, a sign of excellent story telling. In Bradbury’s supernatural world, everything is possible and nothing is as it seems. As much as I wanted to love it, I felt disappointed that there wasn’t more action. Most of the vignettes are little more than “a day in the life,” with the exception of the portions that further the main simplistic plot. I felt like an opportunity was missed for the captivating concept of the fragility of immortality to be further developed. Bradbury creates a world, a landscape, and a cast of characters, but ultimately does very little with it.


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