Customer Reviews

Thursday

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A fan of 'Marianne Dreams' (so far her best, from the ones I've read), I was curious to know more of the stories Storr wrote of this kind. I agree with the other reviewer that once you are into the story, it becomes gripping, as with e.g. the Mirror Image Ghost and The If Game (tho the latter in particular seems to be an inferior effort). Storr is interested in the phase of life when a child is groping toward adulthood; the developments in understanding, and the unaided efforts of courage and love that her main characters have to make in order to take that step. In addition, she likes to explore psychological states by dipping into the paranormal; and here it is the realm of the fairies that comes into play. I don't want to spoil the plot, but I liked the way she pulled off the crucial scene near the end, and the light touch with which she handles the big, mostly latent theme of sexuality. Oh, and along the way she handles relations between adolescents and adults with great intelligence.

Having just read this one, I have to say I prefer it to the others I've read (apart from Marianne Dreams) , the titles of which I've given above. Those two books, the Mirror IG and the If Game depend more on unknown external events and disasters that the main characters have to uncover; while in MD and this book, the drama focuses more on internal responses to events without any extraordinary external drama being brought into play. This means that you can say that a psychological-emotional drama is being described in mythical terms (tho that's never a sufficient interpretation), and the mystery is about psychological dramas rather than any other kind. Marianne has to break out of the prison in which she and another are held thanks to her own behavior and emotions; Bee has to rescue Thursday from his own prison and, like Marianne, she needs love, courage and greater maturity to achieve it. In all the books, a lone journey out of loneliness is also required and described in a compelling way.

I've also acquired The Chinese Egg so I look forward to it. Storr is always worth reading because she has an intelligent mind that is interested in interesting things.

Catherine Storr was not just a brilliant author, but also a qualified doctor and a trained psychiatrist. These are important facts to know as her chosen themes often saw her delving into the dark places of the mind in order to create her insightful characters. THURSDAY, as the cover notes inform us, is "A fascinating exploration of the shadowy ground where psychology and superstition meet." From the outset we can be sure we'll soon be in traditional Storr territory.

Bee Earnshaw is 15 years old and sick with glandular fever. One morning the child care officer, Mr. Tenterden, arrives at the house to make inquiries about Thursday Townsend, a clever but somber friend of Bee's from School. Thursday has gone missing and hasn't been seen for two weeks. Bee suspects he is hiding at the bomb site but decides not to tell Mr. Tenterden this as it's her and Thursday's secret place and sharing the knowledge would feel like betrayal. After much convalescing Bee begins to feel strong enough to leave the house but quickly discovers Thursday is not at the bomb site. Indeed it is clear no one has been there for many weeks. Bee is heartbroken and can't believe Thursday left without saying a word. She, after all, was his only true friend. A day trip to London soon follows and, by chance, Bee spots Thursday working on a building site. She eventually confronts him but he seems different, distant, and even a little cruel. He tells Bee not to try to find him again and walks off without looking back. He later reappears in a hospital some miles from home. Disturbingly, Bee learns, Thursday has experienced some form of mental breakdown. She decides to visit him believing that she alone can call him back to reality...

While I've no doubt that storylines were very important to Catherine Storr they are undoubtedly secondary to the fascinating characters she created. You instinctively feel an affinity with them and a desire to commit, unconditionally, to each one of their triumphs and failures. She achieves this through her analytical style which expertly details the thought processes of her protagonists. She could, for example, write 300 pages about two people deciding what to have for lunch and still have you feverishly turning every page. This is not to suggest her stories are dull because they are most certainly not. It's simply that she never resorts to the sensational for cheap effect. There is suffering and moments of real tension but always her priority is to show the reader precisely how her characters learn and grow from their experiences. These are ordinary people with normal feelings yet all the while sliding on the learning curve of life.

Thursday is a wonderful book which I can thoroughly recommend to young and old alike.