{"id":42786,"date":"2013-12-10T12:14:55","date_gmt":"2013-12-10T18:14:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.austincnm.com\/?p=42786"},"modified":"2013-12-10T21:35:48","modified_gmt":"2013-12-11T03:35:48","slug":"review-man-who-was-thursday","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2013\/12\/review-man-who-was-thursday\/","title":{"rendered":"The Best Nightmare Ever (Review: “The Man Who Was Thursday”)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sometimes I forget how much I love fiction. History is important because, if we don’t learn from it, we are doomed to repeat it. Theology is critical because we never stop learning about God, even after we die. But fiction can expand our world into real-life versions of what happens in our dreams\u2014or in our nightmares.<\/p>\n

We find all three styles in the Bible: the historical tales of the Israelites desperately seeking their savior, the poetic descriptions of the first moments of creation in Genesis and the human heart’s response to God in the Psalms, and the parables of Jesus. Those parables may not have been factual, but they were true. Truth is more than just facts. Truth conveys meaning. Jesus tells us that he is the way, the truth, and the life. Thus, even though fiction is by definition not factual, it is still true.<\/p>\n

\"chesterton-manwhowasthursday\"<\/a>

Cover image via Goodreads<\/a>.<\/p><\/div>\n

Conveniently, all three styles are also available in the writings of the great author G.K. Chesterton. I read Orthodoxy<\/em> in grad school\u2014for pleasure, because that’s who I am\u2014and I loved it. I even reviewed it here at Austin CNM<\/a>. I recommend it, but it might be a bit much if you’re not used to spiritual autobiographies. It was almost too much for me! I know of Chesterton’s hagiographies (lives of the saints), but when a friend loaned me The Man Who Was Thursday<\/em><\/a>, I was quite confident. I know fiction; I love fiction; I can handle this.<\/p>\n

I was only mostly right, for The Man Who Was Thursday<\/em> carries a subtitle: “A Nightmare”. I did a double-take, but I charged ahead, and I am so glad I did. The Man Who Was Thursday<\/em> was indeed a nightmare, but it was a nightmare of the most delightful kind.<\/p>\n

If you’re anything like me, the title alone is enough to raise an eyebrow. The story begins in Chesterton’s own 19th-century England with a tense evening encounter between two puffed-up poets on a country street. The poets, visiting Gabriel Syme and local anarchist Lucian Gregory, see poetry from opposite poles. It’s a steampunk rap battle between the realist and the idealist, but that’s just the beginning of the story.<\/p>\n

Gregory reveals himself to be an authentic anarchist, not just a poseur. He shares this under the restriction than Syme cannot tell anyone his (illegal and destructive) anarchy is legitimate. Subsequently and under the same secrecy, Syme reveals himself to be an undercover policeman. Syme isn’t just an ordinary bobby, however. He is part of a special blue-card-carrying branch of philosophical policemen recruited specifically to hunt down underground anarchists. Oops.<\/p>\n

Syme convinces Gregory to introduce him to his local anarchist chapter. The minor introduction turns into a major catastrophe when, against all reason, the undercover policeman is elected as the chapter’s supreme council representative, code-named Thursday after the day of the week. He is shipped off in the night to meet the other days of the week and their fearsome leader, Sunday, and the real adventure begins.<\/p>\n

I had so much fun reading this book! The writing is beautifully crafted and the quick pace kept me turning pages and smiling. “Nightmare” here isn’t about those scary dreams that keep you from falling asleep at 3 a.m. It’s about that perfectly-laid plan that goes wrong, and goes wrong again, and has a glimmer of hope before flatly falling apart.<\/p>\n

I can’t share any more about the story without giving it away, but please, read it for yourselves! Being over 100 years old, it happens to be widely available in print and online (including free for Kindle<\/a>). And if this tickles your fancy, you will find the same whimsy, wisdom, and wordsmithing in Chesterton’s other works.<\/p>\n

Happy reading!<\/p>\n

\"adventchallengeweek2\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Your Advent Challenge<\/strong> is to embrace the imaginative aspect of the faith. Select a passage from Scripture (a favorite or any reading from the season) and imagine yourself in<\/em> the action, as though you are really there. What do you see, hear, smell, feel, and taste? Are the words being spoken to you or to someone else? How do you (or how does the other person or people) react? What has happened before this passage might affect the way you feel? Dive into the moment and let it become your reality. It is<\/em> real!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Sometimes I forget how much I love fiction. History is important because, if we don’t learn from it, we are doomed to repeat it. Theology is critical because we never stop learning about God, even after we die. But fiction can expand our world into real-life versions of what happens in our dreams\u2014or in our… [Read More]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[87],"tags":[1749,163,1354,2114,1708,116,2115],"class_list":["post-42786","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-reviews","tag-book-reviews","tag-books","tag-chesterton","tag-fiction","tag-mystery","tag-reviews-2","tag-suspense","entry","has-post-thumbnail"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":313045,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2016\/10\/literature-teaches-us-what-it-means\/","url_meta":{"origin":42786,"position":0},"title":"Literature Teaches Us What It Means to Be Human (Review of Laura M. Berquist)","author":"Lindsay Wilcox","date":"October 25, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Forgive me for geeking out a little bit here. I studied English and education in college, and I used to be an English teacher, so it's safe to say that I like reading. In particular, I like stories. For my writing here at ATX Catholic and for much of my\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Blog"","block_context":{"text":"Blog","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"books on staircase","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/atxcatholic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/books-1185628_1280-550x367.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/atxcatholic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/books-1185628_1280-550x367.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/atxcatholic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/books-1185628_1280-550x367.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":174628,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2015\/11\/is-it-possible-entitlement-individualism-go-hand-in-hand-on-the-parable-of-the-attitude-of-a-servant\/","url_meta":{"origin":42786,"position":1},"title":"Is it possible entitlement & individualism go hand in hand? (On the parable of the attitude of a servant)","author":"Rachel","date":"November 16, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Last Tuesday I was\u00a0at St William's in Round Rock for daily mass, and Fr Dean's homily got me thinking. That day the gospel was from Luke, on the servant who comes in from the field: \u201cWho among you would say to your servant who has just come in from plowing\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Faith"","block_context":{"text":"Faith","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/blog\/faith-blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"stock-footage-father-and-son-planting-a-tree-sunrise-silhouette-spring","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/stock-footage-father-and-son-planting-a-tree-sunrise-silhouette-spring.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":112702,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2015\/05\/review-loved-as-i-am\/","url_meta":{"origin":42786,"position":2},"title":"The First Steps on the Road (Review: “Loved As I Am”)","author":"Lindsay Wilcox","date":"May 12, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"To love is to do what is best for the beloved. Some people are easy to love, especially when we have great affection for them besides. Some people are rather more difficult to love. Consider God's love for us. We rejected him from the very start of humanity, and we\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Blog"","block_context":{"text":"Blog","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Loved As I Am: A Review at AustinCNM.com","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/acnm_lovedasiam-550x366.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/acnm_lovedasiam-550x366.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/acnm_lovedasiam-550x366.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":121069,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2015\/06\/sunday-says-podcast-june-14-2015-mass-readings-and-reflections\/","url_meta":{"origin":42786,"position":3},"title":"Sunday Says Podcast \u2013 June 14, 2015 Mass Readings and Reflections","author":"Steve Scott","date":"June 13, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0 [powerpress] Sunday Says Podcast \u2013 June 14, 2015 Mass Readings and Reflections Sunday June 14, 2015 Lectionary: 92 11th Sunday in Ordinary Time (NAB Translation) Welcome to the Sunday Says podcast for June 14, 2015, the eleventh Sunday of Ordinary Time. Thank you for joining us as we open\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Sunday Says"","block_context":{"text":"Sunday Says","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/podcast\/sundaysays\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"SundaySaysPodcast-logo","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/SundaySaysPodcast-logo1-300x231.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":180704,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2015\/12\/review-new-testament-basics-for-catholics\/","url_meta":{"origin":42786,"position":4},"title":"The Story of the King and His Kingdom (Review: “New Testament Basics for Catholics”)","author":"Lindsay Wilcox","date":"December 1, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Thanks to a few years of Bible studies, I could easily tell you that the \"plot\" of the Bible is the fulfillment of the covenant between God and his people. Now I can tell you that the New Testament has its own \"subplot,\" so to speak. A few summers ago,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Faith"","block_context":{"text":"Faith","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/blog\/faith-blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"A review of \"New Testament Basics for Catholics\" at AustinCNM.com","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/acnm-newtestamentbasics-550x367.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/acnm-newtestamentbasics-550x367.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/acnm-newtestamentbasics-550x367.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":153108,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2015\/09\/7-lessons-i-have-learned-serving-in-youth-ministry\/","url_meta":{"origin":42786,"position":5},"title":"Lessons I Have Learned Serving in Youth Ministry","author":"Crist\u00f3bal Almanza Herrera","date":"September 23, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Fall is an active time around most of our parishes, and it\u2019s a time full of incredible hope for another year of catechetics. I\u2019ve been blessed with almost a decade of working in youth ministry and witnessing the incredible ways that the Lord can work in the lives of high\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Faith"","block_context":{"text":"Faith","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/blog\/faith-blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Lessons I have learned in youth ministry","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/LessonsLearnedinYouthMinistry-550x275.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/LessonsLearnedinYouthMinistry-550x275.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/LessonsLearnedinYouthMinistry-550x275.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42786","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/19"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=42786"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42786\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=42786"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=42786"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=42786"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}