The Eyre Affiar - Jasper Fforde

This book is similar in content to a children’s essay; it has everything jammed in; murders, war, love, villains, time travel. The difference is that Jasper Fforde has produced a story that is believable. We all know that dodo don’t exist, Britain wasn’t occupied by the Germans in the second world war and that most people don’t care who wrote Richard III, but in ‘The Eyre Affair’ it is all true; and it works.

The main character, Thursday Next works as a Literary Detective tracking down people taking liberties with the printed word and in a country crazy about literature this isn’t a quiet job. Life suddenly changes when she is seconded to another diversion of the Special Operations Network to help with the capture of Acheron Hades, the third most wanted criminal in the world, and Thursday’s old lecturer.

As part of this hunt Thursday finds herself inside the original manuscript of Jane Eyre using one of her Uncle’s inventions. It is wonderful to discover that the characters of books are sentient beings who have a life outside of the story line and if an interloper, like Thursday, walks into the story lines they will change the plot of the book, as happens with Jane Eyre.

If knowing its about Jane Eyre puts you off the book don’t worry this is only a small part of the story and there is a whole new wonderful world to discover. I’m really looking forward to reading the second book in the series.