"The Eyre Affair" by Japser Fforde

Anais' Annotations

In the last 20 years, spinoffs and even fanfiction have gained a prestigious foothold in popular fiction. Books that play on existing pieces of literature are now as well-known– and sometimes better known– than the material that inspired them. Generally speaking, I have not been a fan of this recent development. While I cannot lie,it has a place among genre fiction, I tend to lean more into original storytelling or experimental structures. My most recent encounter with a fanfiction-esque book was Jasper Fforde’s “The Eyre Affair” (2001). As much as I wanted this book to change my feelings on spinoffs, it only made them stronger. 

“The Eyre Affair” is the first book in the “Thursday Next” series, named for its point-of-view heroine. It draws inspiration from the classic 1847 novel “Jane Eyre” by Charlotte Brontë. It is necessary to have already been exposed to the original material if one wants to fully understand “The Eyre Affair.” Before diving into this book, I re-read Brontë, thinking the next in line of my “To Be Read” list would be an eye-opening new take. 

I was quite disappointed in that regard. The entire premise of the plot is the first thing that gives me pause. Set in an alternate reality where literature is far more important than ever before, the story gets a little too outlandish for my tastes. I can get behind suspending my disbeliefs– kings and queens, elves, dragons and doubloons have all been present in books that I have enjoyed heavily. 

However, I think it is important for authors to be selective about what elements they choose to bring into their stories. In Fforde’s case, the type and number of outrageous happenings  got a little bit too much for me to enjoy. Between time travel, black holes, literature coming to life and a world where every name seems to be a book pun, I got worn out from trying to keep up with this universe very quickly. 

While on the topic of the constant book puns, I found the sense of humor woven throughout this text to be so annoying. I am an English major, so I read a lot of books, but there is no world where I would want this many jokes and references in my daily life. The inclusion of this style of humor might be more palatable to me if it were not so heavy-handed. It honestly  comes off as forced. 

As much of a hater as I am of this book, I do have to give it credit for one great thing– the character building is well done. Thursday is a protagonist with visible growth and development throughout the text. Readers get to see her dynamics with so many other relationships, all characters who make an impact on the work as a whole. As a plus, she has a pet Dodo bird, and I have to admit he makes for a really cool inclusion. 

Even with my approval of its characters, I cannot say that “The Eyre Affair” will be making it to my re-read list. Its plot and writing style are completely outside of what I look for in entertainment fiction. All things said, I have to give “The Eyre Affair” a 5 out of 10.