Everyone describes An Instance of the Fingerpost as a "historical mystery," but the mystery component is in my view a minor part of the book. Granted, the plot does revolve around the question of who put poison in the wine bottle, but as a whodunit it would pale next to the works of classic mystery writers. The value for me was to step right into the 17th century and get a sense of people's lives and attitudes and beliefs.
The story is told by four narrators (which, as my wife reminded me, is basically the format for Rashomon), and, as in that movie, the narrations differ on key points. By the time I was on the third narrative, I started going back to read the first one again to compare salient points. Doing so was not onerous, because Pears writes in a style that's very easy to read, and despite writing about the 17th century he seems to avoid the temptation to litter the text with archaic words.
The most difficult aspect (for me, perhaps not for you) was that much of the action and motivation of the characters center on the Restoration of the English monarch in the 1660s, which I have never much understood, or frankly cared about. But I did learn a lot about ordinary people's lives and the role of women and the birth pangs of medical science and the conflicts of religious dogma and the ethics of the time.
This is not a quick read; you're looking at some 600+ pages even if you don't flip back and forth to compare stories. But it won't take long to figure out if you like it or not; I should think in an hour's time, after reading a chapter or two, you'll know whether or not you're going to enjoy it.
After finishing this book, I checked out another novel by this author (The Dream of Scipio), but found that one too cumbersome to follow as it shuttled between three people in different centuries; Pears is an art historian by profession and has written some mysteries about that field of study, so perhaps I should try one of those.
Those who have read the book, please feel free to chime in with your own thoughts.
I read this book many years ago and it blew me away. It remains one of the most structurally satisfying stories I have ever read. Reading it was like riding a wave until you crash onto the shore as it breaks and suddenly the story all makes glorious transcendent sense. I frequently find myself recommending it to friends.
ReplyDeleteI wasn't able to get into the Dream of Scipio either; I may try again one of these days.
My brother loved this book, so I soldiered on, trying to discover the reason. I read it all, was relieved when it was finished.
ReplyDeleteI loved it, too. Picked it up randomly at an airport, then spent half my vacation with my nose buried in it!
ReplyDeleteI loved it, too. And I flipped back and forth as you did. It's been a long time, and as I was dusting it the other day, I decided I would soon read it again. I read Dreaming of Scipio, waiting for it to get better. It just can't compare.
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