Book Review: The Eyre Affair
Book One Of The Thursday Next Series by Jasper Fforde;
In The Eyre Affair, Jasper Fforde's clever and original first book in the Thursday Next Series; Thursday is a Special Operations Network Literary Agent, which means she polices activities that involve literary crimes like stolen manuscripts, first edition forgeries, that sort of thing. All is pretty ordinary until a former enemy; Acheron Hades steals an invention of her uncle's that enables him to transport into books and kidnap characters like minor figures from Martin Chuzzlewit and as the title suggests, Jane Eyre.
Alternate England
The world of the Thursday Next Series is incredible to read and one of the most brilliantly written in modern fiction. Though the world isn't as original as the Book World of the later books in The Next Series, the Alternate England of The Eyre Affair has some wonderful details that Fforde put a lot of effort into.
The Eyre Affair mostly takes place in Swindon, England, but it is a Swindon that isn't quite what anyone had read about before. Neanderthals roam the streets fighting for their rights and dodos have been regenerated as house pets. Travelers fly by zeppelin instead of by airplane. People go to plays like Richard III, and yell comments at them ala Rocky Horror Picture Show.
That is not to say all is wonderful in Next's world. The Crimean War, only a three year war in our world has lasted for over 150 years in these books. Thursday, a former war veteran, still suffers from the occasional post-traumatic stress disorder episode.
The biggest problem of all is The Goliath Corporation, a corporation that practically owns the country. Goliath seems to be ready to turn England into a dictatorship, and as the series goes on its representatives get sleazier and more villainous. Addressing issues such as The Crimean War and Goliath allow Fforde to also write in a biting satiric manner alongside the whimsical fantasy world he created.
First in Female HeroesBesides creating a believable fantasy world, Fforde also gave us wonderful characters that populate it, none more so than his main protagonist.Thursday is very strong-willed and dedicated to her job. She is willing to aid Jane Eyre for a favor that she and Jane's love, Rochester did for her years ago. Thursday also is clever, particularly when she traps her enemies usually using their own greed or stupidity against them.
She also possesses quite a few character flaws and is no model of perfection. She is very stubborn and unwilling to forgive those who slight her. Throughout most of The Eyre Affair, she is angry at her former fiancée for a misconception during the Crimean War. It takes well into the book before she forgives him, and even afterward spends much of the book series on her own.
She also can be something of a female Dirty Harry, jumping into catching criminals without thinking about the consequences something in one touching scene she learns the hard way. Still Thursday proves to be an equal, even a superior, protagonist to many male literary characters.
About The Author
Jasper Fforde was born in London in 1961. He worked as focus puller for various films including Goldeneye and Quills. He wrote five volumes in the Thursday Next Series, starting with The Eyre Affair (2001) to First Among Sequels (2007). He also wrote two other series The Nursery Crime series which began with The Big Over Easy (2005) and a series called, Shades of Grey is scheduled to begin in 2009. Fforde lives in Wales.
