Graham Moore's The Sherlockian

Being an avid Sherlock Holmes fan (as a child, I claimed that my favorite actor was Basil Rathbone, who played Sherlock in the 1939 film series) I was immediately interested in reading The Sherlockian by Graham Moore. The novel is a fictionalized account of two true stories--the first being that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle killed off Sherlock Holmes in 1893 only to later revive him in 1901 for no apparent reason; and the second that in 2004 the leading Holmes scholar claimed to have found Doyle's missing diary, but was soon found in a hotel room strangled to death by a shoelace. From these two separate occurances, Moore creates two parallel mysteries that take the reader on a fascinating tour of the world of Sherlock Holmes.


The Sherlockian is in my opinion an excellent example of storytelling for several reasons.

First, it is intriguing in its use of reality. A mix of non-fiction and fiction allows for the story to contain real-life relevance while still granting the author flexibility of plot. The fact that he is supported by frequent quoting of Doyle and a style that is reminiscent of a Holmes novel allows for an even more pleasurable experience as a Holmes fan.

But even for someone with no prior knowledge of the detective, The Sherlockian presents a storyline that makes for great reading. The narrative switches back and forth from chapter to chapter between the present (2010) and the past (1900). This is done very well, as the two separate stories begin to weave together.

An example of Moore's play with setting can be seen as he switches between the time periods. Back in 1900, Arthur writes in his diary...

     "'Killed Holmes,' he wrote.
     Arthur felt light. His shoulder muscles loosened. He closed his eyes and inhaled the dark air. He was so happy.
     He was careful to lock his precious diary back in the desk before stepping out into the hallway in search of brandy."

The next chapter begins:

     "'To murder!' repeated Jeffrey Engels for emphasis, back in the Algonquin Hotel.
     Harold paused. Something was very wrong here.
     'The affair has taken a grave turn? To murder?' Jeffrey said again, with a touch of hesitation.
     Harold laughed. "The quote is from 'The Adventure of Six Napoleons," he said. "You owe me a drink."
     'Well done!' Jeffrey beamed. 'So I do.'
     'But I think you owe me two drinks. The quote isn't quite right. It should be 'the affair has taken a  very much graver turn.'"

As Moore impresses us with his knowledge of Sherlock, he also draws us into the story as we buy into a world of scholars who are devoted to finding Doyle's lost diary. The rapid intrigue which marks the best page-turners is in this novel balanced by an intellectualism that, though it may be new to the reader, is certainly fun to become a part of. As I read, I felt more and more connected to the search, wanted to know myself what was inside of the lost diary.

Finally, Moore's message is an interesting one, and it makes for a satisfying, thought-provoking ending. His exploration of the human need for answers, for illumination, asks exactly why we need to know what the diary says in the first place. Howard's reaction to discovering the diary is in itself a very interesting comment on our own drive to find out what we don't know.

In whole, The Sherlockian is a great example of storytelling and a novel that I would read again and recommend.