The Eyre Affair - Book Review

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Ranked #6,767 in Arts , #171,244 overall

The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde

Welcome to Britain in 1985. Except that this is a slightly different version of Britain. In this 1985 the Crimean War is still underway; genetically re-engineered dodos are popular pets; and the Government is facing public riots over a proposed increase in the cheese tax.

Welcome to the bizarre world of The Eyre Affair. 

 

Image: The Eyre Affair: A Thursday Next Novel

Synopsis 

Of all the oddities in this version of reality one of the most unbelievable is the fact that literature matters; this is a world where the president of the Bronte Federation is granted an immediate personal meeting with the Prime Minister. Normally such a conceit would have me groaning, however in this case it's done with tongue firmly in cheek and provides the basis for both a frenetic plot and much laughter. For example: in this world the pests who knock on your door trying to convert you are the Baconites.

If you haven't guessed yet, The Eyre Affair is a spoof science fiction comedy. It's sort of Douglas Adams meets Monty Python with a GCSE in English Literature.

The main character is called Thursday Next (yes, really). She is a LiteraTec - one of an elite band of law enforcers dedicated to stamping out literary crime. Her colleagues include a vampire hunter, her uncle is a mad scientist and her father is a renegade ChronoGuard operative.

The Villain of the story is one Acheron Hades (yes, really). Hades is an amoral criminal with super-villain style powers. His latest diabolical plan involves stealing original manuscripts and murdering the main characters. Next is also up against the all-powerful Goliath Corporation and their chief of security, Jack Schitt (yes, really!).

Analysis 

The number of ideas and plot threads in The Eyre Affair is simply breathtaking. New concepts and twists are constantly piled on top of each other. Yet somehow Fforde manages to keep it all together; yes, there are plot problems but the pace means that those balls which fall usually do so without anyone caring. The result is that, against the odds, this glorious mosaic of ideas actually ends up feeling like a coherent whole.

This isn't literary fiction but it is a literary book. References to famous works of literature abound. You don't need to have read the classics, however it will help your enjoyment if you have. If not - well, you're about to learn the plot of Jane Eyre. Sort of.

This is also a very clever book. As well as belly-laugh gags there are many small, subtle jokes that you can easily miss if you read too quickly. It's a dangerous formula; in less skilled hands it could have been an embarrassing flop. In fact The Eyre Affair is a comic triumph.

Conclusion 

If you like intelligent humour then you simply must read this book. If you still need convincing, I'll just mention one of the many treats it contains: a Rocky Horror version of Richard III.

All together now:

"When is the winter of our discontent?"

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The Eyre Affair: A Thursday Next Novel

The Eyre Affair: A Thursday Next Novel

by: Jasper Fforde

Amazon Price: $10.20 (as of 07/06/2009)Buy Now

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