And Then There Were None - Books I enjoyed

Before I fawn about the book in the title, I would like to provide some context to put things in perspective. I was never a voracious reader, even back in my high school days. I preferred other forms of media because I found them to be more accessible. Over the years, my ability to slow down, process and appreciate what's on the page have diminished. I blame modern day clickbait articles that use useless info as padding to serve more ads. My profession, also, more often than not has me skimming through large documentations. So at this point, I have quite forgotten what it is to read for the pure joy of it. To rectify this, I decided to set short term goals of reading n number of books within a given period.

I started with And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie. Why this one? I liked Kenneth Branagh's Hercule Pariot movies. I enjoyed Nancy Drew, Hardy Books, The Secret Seven, etc. when I was young. A quick internet search showed me "And Then There Were None" was one of the best Agathe Christie novels there is.

What is it about?

The premise for this book is simple. Ten people, whose paths have not crossed prior, are invited to a private island. They are accused of having murdered someone in their past. One by one, each of them are murdered as depicted in a nursery rhyme.

This story qualifies as a murder mystery by the narrowest of margins. Traditional murder mysteries follow a set pattern. There is a murder which acts as the setup, the inciting incident. After which, the crux of the story is about the central character/detective solving the crime. This involves a cast of suspects, who either have a motive or an opportunity to kill, or both. But here is where this story differs, everyone who is alive is a suspect and is also a target.

When I started the book, I had trouble following. The narrative is of a third-person perspective. And it jumps around introducing all the characters. There were too many details to keep up with, and I was getting back into reading after a hiatus. But as I continued, I got used to the style. Or, the writing walks a tight rope of keeping the relevant information on the forefront. This made it much easier to keep track of what's happening.

Murder Mystery? Or Psychological Horror?

With each murder that happens, the remaining survivors seem to spiral into hysteria. This elevates the story from a generic murder mystery to straight-up psychological horror. The impending danger, the setting in of autophobia, and their guilt keep escalating. These qualities had me squirming in my seat, yet I could hardly put the book down.

Having said that, at the heart of it is the mystery. It is what keeps the story chugging along. Agatha doesn't flesh out every character. Some are killed right off the bat, which might irk some, but it was a choice that worked. And for that matter, the author for the entirety of the story, keeps it simple. There are no larger than life explanations or contraptions or hidden mechanisms. Yet, at a point, I was considering an arcane explanation as a possibility. Every time I had a theory, the story seemed to squash it. And I was running out of grounded theories fast.

This also keeps the reader guessing who the next victim is and who could be the murderer. You know who else did this? The surviving characters! This resonance had me looking over my shoulder more than once. The murderer seems to be reveling in the psychological torture he or she administers, and the tension between the cast of characters only rises.

The Ending (spoiler free)

The characters are not dumbed down like in a horror movie. They try to keep their wits and come with plausible plans to survive. This cat and mouse game, I felt, paid great dividends in the end.  

While the book kept me hooked, I was able to truly appreciate the book for what it is during the epilogue. Often, writers write impossible setups only for the explanation to fall flat and leave the reader disappointed. This is very much not the case here. While I don't want to spoil anything, I will say the epilogue was satisfying and a natural conclusion, while I was forced to search for an outlandish one.

Conclusion

This is one of the better murder mysteries I have read, and it is barely one. I liked the writing style, which is quite accessible. The story is firmly grounded, simple and free flowing. It is an engrossing read, and I highly recommend it to anyone who is a fan of the genre or dark stories.

I am going to pick by Hogfather by Terry Pratchett or The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie. If you have any suggestions or want to discuss this book, please feel free to reach out to me.