I have read two other Jasper Fforde novels, both from his Thursday Next series. Although I liked those books and found Fforde's wit endearing and unique, I honestly think I prefer the Nursery Crime series better. Fforde has a wonderful wickedness in how he uses nursery rhymes in this series, and his main character, Jack Spratt, is both endearing and principled in contrast to other characters who are cynical and power-hungry as he attempts to solve the apparent murder of Humpty Dumpty. With lots of unanticipated plot twists and complications, the story was enjoyable, silly and inane at times, but clever and exceptional.
Three Things I Liked:
1. Absurdity: I heard Fforde's writing described as absurd and even more than in the Thursday Next series, this is true of this Nursery Crime novel. In fact, toward the end, as the various plot complications resolve, I found myself giggling at his absurd sense of humor and crazy logic. The logic of the story is in itself remarkable at times, and downright bizarre, but actually works in a way one could only expect of a nursery rhyme crime drama.
2. Chapter epigraphs in the form of press releases: The epigraphs that introduce each chapter actually provide interesting back stories for the events transpiring in the course of the novel. This is an interesting narrative technique as it doesn't make the story run away on a tangent, but provides important insights. They add to the absurdity of the story at times and most importantly provide interesting commentary on society's infatuation with the drama of the famous and infamous.
3. Transformation of flat, stock characters into round, multidimensional characters: Mary Mary (of the Quite Contrary rhyme) and Jack Spratt are transformed from one-dimensional characters in this novel, which includes other unlikely characters as Prometheus of Greek myth fame, the depressed, womanizing Humpty Dumpty, the insomniac Wee Willie Winkie, and the murderous Tom Thomm (the piper's son). Although some of these characters don't undergo dramatic transformation, most have a seedier side in Fforde's imagination and they become more than they appear in their nursery rhymes (and myths).
Three Things I Liked Less:
1. Incredulity of some plot complications: Some of Fforde's plot complications seemed unnecessary and even inane at times, but I think this might be in keeping with the absurdity he was striving for. Without any spoilers, did that really need to happen to Humpty? Couldn't it just have been a bullet???
2. Aliens??: Yes, one of the minor characters is an alien from another planet. Seemed gratuitous and unnecessary to me, but what do I know?
3. Backhanded charges against Jack Spratt of "racism": Jack Spratt is constantly accused of racism by his peers and the media jury who keeps trying to hang him out to dry. It seemed at times the newspaper media were as duplicitous as the antagonist, but I'm hoping to retain an open mind for when I delve into the next Nursery Crime novel in the series.
Overall, I enjoyed The Big Over Easy and as I was looking for a quick read at the time, this one fit the bill for me. I am really interested in the next novels as I'm genuinely interested in what happens to Mary Mary and Jack Spratt as they continue to fight Nursery Rhyme Crime and the corrupt police force that is beholden to the media (yes, complete social commentary here) for their "success." Despite the absurd approach, Fforde seems to have something scathing to say about the criminal justice system and society's infatuation with the infamous.
SOURCE:
Fforde, Jasper. The Big Over Easy: A Nursery Crime. New York: Viking, 2005. Print.
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