Book review: The Man Who Was Thursday

Nothing is quite as it seems in The Man Who Was Thursday by G.K. Chesterton. If you haven’t read this classic thriller by the Englishman who influenced C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien, put it on your reading list.

Thursday is the story of a passionate Scotland Yard detective who infiltrates a band of anarchists. Or are they? The Central Anarchist Council has pledged itself to destroy civilization – or has it?

There is humor and a puzzle at every turn as the young detective follows the baffling threads of evidence to a surprising conclusion.

If you’re a wordsmith, Chesterton’s writing is must-read. His descriptions are a study in word choices, never extravagant and yet very apt for his purpose.

And underlying this story of twists and turns is a insightful probe into human nature. What motivates the young detective? What motivates the anarchists? What can be believed? How do our perceptions shape our actions?

In the end, Chesterton reveals more than the answer to the riddle. He lays open our assumptions about the very nature of God. You may close the book with more questions than answers, but that’s part of Chesterton’s intent.

For he wants you to acknowledge that often things are not as they seem.