Summary: An umbrella is missing. A
man is distressed. A thief scampers over rooftops. A child is in
danger. A harangued salesclerk weeps. A dog save the day.
The intriguing story of The Sopping Thursday
is unlike any other Edward Gorey book, both because of its unique
gray-and-black illustrations and because it has a happy ending (if one
is to dismiss any worry about the child featured in the last frame). In
just thirty images and thirty short lines of text, Gorey manages to
create a complex tableau of characters and a plot worthy of film noir. (image and summary from goodreads.com)
My Review: What I love about Edward Gorey's books is the strange, almost dream-like
way they are told. I read an article recently that talked about how he
told disjointed stories because he left a lot up to the imagination of
the reader. His stories will jump from point A to point 12 within one
page, leaving you to try and figure out what happened in between and
possibly wondering if we have moved onto a different story completely.
However, they always somehow manage to tell a complete, if not
disjointed tale, which is really the charm of Gorey's books. The jumpy
storytelling could be jarring for some, but if you just go with it, you
will be amused.
The Sopping Thursday is mostly about rain, umbrellas and one very noble
dog named Bruno. As we go from one cleverly drawn page to the next, we
jump in and out of different stories, a man looking for the perfect
umbrella, a man who has lost his umbrella, a thief of umbrellas, and
Bruno going on a quest to recover an umbrella.
Gorey's art has always had a spot in my heart. If you ever watched the
old Masterpiece Mystery on PBS (and I believe they still use portions
nowadays) there is an animated intro that is in Gorey's style, as his
art lends well to the mysterious and dark. His art in Sopping Thursday
is wonderful, with the rain on nearly every page, and the solid black
umbrellas and the hound with the very Victorian-looking humans.
This story is surprisingly lighter fare compared to his other books
which tend to have a more macabre trend (check out The Gashlycrumb
Tinies if you want a taste), but it still has that unique Gorey flair,
and anyone with an odd sense of humor will definitely enjoy.
My Rating: Four Stars
For the sensitive reader: Nothing of note
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