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According
to the book jacket, The Name of This Book is Secret
by Pseudonymous Bosch is a, well, secretive tale told by "an
eccentric narrator"--and the book jacket doesn't lie.
The novel
opens with many warnings to readers that practically beg them
to avoid reading on in order to escape a grisly fate. Chapter
One immediately follows—a text made up entirely of X's,
as if the type were corrected or blotted out on an old typewriter.
Chapter One and a Half is more warnings. The story really
starts in Chapter Two.
The mystery
begins when Cass—emergency-obsessed and always prepared—receives
a box full of tiny vials of scent, called the Symphony of
Smells, in her grandfathers' antique store. Apparently the
Symphony is part of the estate of a mysterious dead magician.
In an attempt to figure out what the symphony means, Cass
pairs up with Max Ernest—who can't tell a joke, and whose
parents are estranged but still living in the same house (but
with a line drawn right down the middle)—to explore the
mysterious dead magician's mysterious house in which they
find a mysterious (and tricky) diary. Cass and Max Ernest
vow to solve the mystery surrounding the magician's death
and his diary, all while attempting to withhold information
from the cruel Dr. L and Ms. Mauvais—mysterious villains
who wish to use the magician's diary to support their evil
organization.
Really,
the whole thing is very mysterious.
The novel
itself is a treat—each chapter opens with an illustration
to give clues as to what has previously happened or what will
happen in the story, and the narrator continually addresses
the audience to warn and to offer advice on matters of the
mystery, of life, and of vocabulary. Peppered throughout are
hilarious footnotes on various topics, including Benito Mussolini—"As
a child, Mussolini was expelled from school for stabbing another
student and for throwing a pot of ink at his teacher. His
personality never improved but his luck sure did."
The mystery
and back story of the magician are both interesting, though
somewhat formulaic. Cass and Max Ernest make up for that deficiency,
though, in their realness as characters and people. As the
mystery progresses, the reader learns more about Cass and
Max and their back stories, which serve to ground the characters
and the story in reality. Cass and Max Ernest are so human,
in fact, that they flub their investigation several times,
allowing the reader to reach resolution at the same time as
the characters.
At times,
the mysteriousness of the novel becomes almost comical, but
that is the purpose—the novel itself is almost a parody
of other children's mysteries. Even so, the story remains
engaging in all its word play and satire. When translated
from French to English, Ms. Mauvais's name becomes Ms. Bad,
and her identity as a villain is solidified instead of just
suspected. In fact, much like Lemony Snicket, it seems that
Psuedonymous Bosch relies on word play and hidden meanings
to tell the story, just as the magician relies on multiple
meanings, riddles, and secrets to tell his own story. Cass
and Max Ernest do the same, relying on their knowledge of
words and riddles to solve the mysteries of the diary, the
Symphony of Smells, and the true identities of Dr. L and Ms.
Mauvais. All the silliness, mystery, riddles, and intrigue
combine to make The Name of This Book Is Secret a truly
fun and worthwhile read.
(January,
2008)
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