Greetings,
So, over the past couple of years, I have gotten really into reading the stories of Sherlock Holmes. I might give credit to my watching the show, Sherlock, but I no longer enjoy that show...because of reasons. Therefore, I will hand credit over to Elementary. I still respect you, Jonny Lee Miller. Anyway, whilst I was browsing through the shelves of my local library, this title, The Sherlockian, stood out to me. At first, I was concerned that it was going to be nothing more than some high end Sherlock fan fiction. Not the case. Actually, this book has less to do with Mr. Holmes and more to do with the man who created him, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. So much for "death of the author". Anyway, let's get to this story. Or...stories. Gasp. Yeah, wait for it.
The Sherlockian is a 2010 novel by Graham Moore. It tells the story of a man named Harold White, who is invited into an exclusive group known as The Baker Street Irregulars. They are - let's just say it - Sherlock fanboys. Not that I'm judging. Okay, maybe a little. As luck would have it, Harold is suddenly dropped in the midst of a search for a very sought after possession of Doyle's. At the same time, he tasks himself with also solving the murder of the man who is the top expert on the author. In a way, Harold is forced to turn into Sherlock himself to solve both of these mysteries.
Meanwhile, more than a hundred years earlier...Oh, yeah. This book goes there. Indeed, not only are we following the adventures of Harold White, but also a story about Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Which actually comes first, but whatever. For those of you who don't know, in 1893, Doyle made the unexpected and, I think, brave decision to kill off Sherlock Holmes, the character that had become beloved by so many. So beloved, in fact, that people were devastated, some to the point of wearing black arm bands in mourning. Wow, really? And we think the girls distraught about that one guy whose name I don't know leaving One Direction were crazy. Apparently, this behavior is nothing new. Back to Doyle. After eight years of silence on the Holmes front (heh, heh!), he decided to bring the detective back to life. He never told people why he did this, but what he did do during this time was keep a diary. And that is the possession which is being looked for in present day.
So, The Sherlockian jumps back and forth between these two time periods and stories, and it takes some skill to be able to write a book in this manner. Write it well, I mean. Trust me. I've come across some authors who do not have that skill. It does not yield pleasant results. I enjoyed getting into both of the stories as they helped to propel each other farther along. It seems like these two halves of the story, the past and the present, combined for the author to both emulate Doyle a bit, but to also pay homage to his life and work. I've said before that I am not a fan of fan fiction, and like I said a few paragraphs ago, this is not that. However, I feel like this book could be the result of a "fanficcy" idea turned into something that can actually be taken seriously. Talk about a rarity.
I suppose I should take this time to address something that a few of you may be wondering. Do you have to be an avid reader of the Sherlock Holmes stories in order to follow what's going on in this book, references and whatnot? Well, it certainly wouldn't hurt to know a few things, and I assume that the primary, but not the sole, audience to whom this was aimed would be fans of Sherlock Holmes. However, it really isn't necessary. You can just read the book without having to study other books in advance. I mean, this isn't a Marvel movie. Ooh, burn! Still, I would never deter anyone from reading those Holmes stories.
Now, I happen to be a fan of mysteries as well as historical fiction, so I enjoyed The Sherlockian. I even liked reading the author's notes, which is not usually something I recommend, in particular, but I do here. This book may not be everyone's cup of tea, but I'd say to give it a chance. And then go watch Elementary. If, for nothing else, only to see Clyde the Tortoise!
Love and full moons,
Becky the Writer
