The Man Who Was Thursday is a classic mystery of the highest order, in the sense that it remains almost as much of a mystery at the end of the book as it was at the beginning. The mystery seems to lie within your ability to grasp and understand the philosophical themes that Chesterton weaves throughout this enigmatic story. They are buried well beneath the surface of the story, but once uncovered, are worth their weight in gold. Because of that, I think this is one of the most truly satisfying books I have ever read. One picks up the book, and is suddenly immersed in a big and lonely world, where one philosophical policeman with a blue card that says ‘The Last Crusade’ is surrounded by angry anarchists who take their names after the days of the week, and are headed by the terrible and awesome figure of the man called Sunday. They are going to destroy the world in an explosion of fire, if the policeman Gabriel Syme can’t stop them. Or so he thinks…… but then again, one of the most important philosophical lessons a person can ever learn in life is that not all is as it seems. It is often the exact opposite, as Chesterton well knew. I’m sure Sunday had that in mind on that dreamy evening, where Gabriel Syme met Lucian Gregory in Saffron Park, and the whole nightmare of an adventure began……
