3.75 stars

“You've got that eternal idiotic idea that if anarchy came it would come from the poor. Why should it? The poor have been rebels, but they have never been anarchists: they have more interest than anyone else in there being some decent government. The poor man really has a stake in the country. The rich man hasn't; he can go away to New Guinea in a yacht. The poor have sometimes objected to being governed badly; the rich have always objected to being governed at all. Aristocrats were always anarchists, as you can see from the barons' wars.”
- The Man Who Was Thursday : A Nightmare by G. K. Chesterton

Hailed by many as one of the greatest novels ever written, this book is a metaphysical thriller that centres on seven anarchists in turn-of-the-century London who call themselves by the names of the days of the week. It is a novel of deception, philosophy, subterfuge, double-crossing and secret identities.

This book was a huge rollercoaster ride! The first couple of chapters were a complete delight. I found myself thoroughly engrossed, frantically highlighting some incredibly fascinating stuff, marvelling at the twists and on occasion, laughing out loud. Then it got predictable and tedious. I powered through the chapters and just when I had begun to enjoy the book again, it fell apart. Some of the twists felt so obvious to me that I’m shocked how people think of them as groundbreaking.

The ending was brilliant until it wasn’t. It went from being a fantastic thriller to being a confused bundle of biblical references. I don’t mind the anti-climatic ending, just wish it hadn’t been this ‘irritating’ (can’t think of any other word to describe it). I love the idea and the thought, but I think Chesterton went a little overboard with the allusions to Christianity.

Overall, I think it’s a pretty great book if you’re down for a mind-bending read. Some truly fascinating ideas. The ‘prince of paradox’ is insightful, hilarious and captivating…. until he upends into religion.