Book Review – The Man Who Knew Too Much

The Man Who Knew Too Much – G.K. Chesterton (1922) – A collection of thirteen mystery stories centering mostly on Horne Fisher, the “Man” of the title (four of the stories feature other people).  Fisher’s problem is that he knows too many people and has either discovered, or been told, too many things.  He knows the secrets of the society in which he lives but can not tell those secrets because they may damage the status quo and the people he knows that support it.  The result is that he is a humorless, bitter man who sees the truth but can not make it serve justice.

If you’re a movie buff, here’s another one where you think you will know the story (just like “The 39 Steps“).  Once again Alfred Hitchcock will have led you down a false trail.  The movie (a classic) has virtually nothing to do with the book.  It’s surprising how very modern in tone these stories are despite being almost a century old.  Our protagonist is very much in the modern “anti-hero” mold.  He doesn’t pursue truth with any great vigor and prefers the comfortable rut of a corrupt system to the disorderly results of trying to change it.  In the end Fisher will even rise to the defense of the system for which he has shown such disillusion.  On the whole he is a rather disagreeable character.

In fact, he goes so far in a couple places to let fly with some nasty anti-Semitic comments.  It’s just this sort of thing that sets off some Chesterton critics.  There has been some long standing controversy about Chesterton and anti-Semitism.  In the end there are two items I think worth noting.  First, that Chesterton did a great deal of work in supporting the creation of a Jewish homeland and argued vehemently against the concept of racial superiority as it was propounded by the Nazis.  At the same time there was a strong streak of anti-Semitism in English (and all European) culture at the time.  He undoubtedly bore some trace of it and his characters were honest representations of the class of people he saw in daily life.  Chesterton fans take great exception to the concept that the author was an anti-Jewish bigot.

Chesterton is certainly a fascinating character in his own right.  Not only did he write these mystery stories but also the classic “Father Brown Mysteries”.  His writings explaining Christian belief remain classics as well (“Orthodoxy” and “The Everlasting Man”, as examples).  A High Church Anglican he eventually became a Roman Catholic.  A large man (6’4″ and 284 pounds) he was also a beloved speaker on the BBC, delivering some 40 talks a year for over the last four years of his life.

Wonderfully written and a fascinating read.

Rating – **** Recommended