The Man Who Was Thursday by G K Chesterton (O.P.)
Recommended by Nicolas Desaedeleer
The Man Who Was Thursday by G.K. Chesterton features Gabriel Syme, a poet conscripted to a secret anti-anarchist council, who seems to infiltrate a peculiar anarchist group. The underlying conflict revolves around revealing the identity and motives of the council’s members, especially the elusive figure of Sunday. The book gives much to think about: right and wrong, faithfulness, scepticism, and whether a blatant evil can be self-deluding. Most impressive is its dream-like narrative and structure: a political thriller that gradually grows into an allegorical work of facts and propositions, its absurd reversals and symbolism making one question whether the invincible is indeed invincible, and heroism reconstructed by paradoxically humorous illustrations and unending suspense.
