The Annotated Thursday: G. K. Chesterton's Masterpiece The Man Who Was Thursday by G.K. Chesterton
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

When I read this 15 years ago or so, I didn't get it. This time I got it: this is Job 38-42 in allegorical form.

Like much of Chesterton's other work, the story begins lightheartedly, but by the end it becomes profound. At the beginning, the main character finds himself getting caught up as an undercover detective in a secret organization that plans to destroy the world, and he is carried along through some great plot twists and turns and chases. As the story progresses, however, things get stranger--much stranger. The fantasy elements multiply, and by the end, the tone has completely shifted. This genre-mixing isn't everyone's cup of tea, but the story certainly provokes thought.

This particular edition includes a lot of great annotations from scholar Martin Gardner, including background on the novel's cultural references, geographical references, and other interesting tidbits.

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