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A review by sassylk
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
What an exemplary study in the art of the first person narrative!
Unfortunately I did guess the murderer earlier than it was revealed. I guessed the twist when we as readers understood that Sheppard’s narration was merely an account that he had written for Poirot, rather than just a fictional narrator, but the shocking announcement was still a real surprise!
At some points the details got lost to me, and I found it hard to keep up with the multitude of characters and timings, but that is part of what Christie ultimately succeeds at - we as readers honestly will never catch up with Poirot in terms of his ability to see a case so clearly, and so all we can do is watch it unfurl before us (even if it is not the way we think it will unfurl).
What is first person narration, if ultimately always unreliable? Is it not supposed, when we read a novel set in first person, that some part of the truth will always be concealed by the limitations of human perspective?
Christie plays with these questions in an exceedingly clever way, and the use of communication devices (the telephone call, the dictaphone) adds to the idea that this novel is a cautionary tale about the art of communication, truth, and changing perspectives. Almost a masterpiece in detective literature!
At some points the details got lost to me, and I found it hard to keep up with the multitude of characters and timings, but that is part of what Christie ultimately succeeds at - we as readers honestly will never catch up with Poirot in terms of his ability to see a case so clearly, and so all we can do is watch it unfurl before us (even if it is not the way we think it will unfurl).
What is first person narration, if ultimately always unreliable? Is it not supposed, when we read a novel set in first person, that some part of the truth will always be concealed by the limitations of human perspective?
Christie plays with these questions in an exceedingly clever way, and the use of communication devices (the telephone call, the dictaphone) adds to the idea that this novel is a cautionary tale about the art of communication, truth, and changing perspectives. Almost a masterpiece in detective literature!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Minor: Suicide