The Man Who Was Thursday by G. K. Chesterton is a story about a British detective, Gilbert Syme, who goes under cover to investigate a group of anarchists in early-1900's London. It is subtitled A Nightmare because it is combination of realistic fiction, fantasy and allegory.Inspector Syme is able to join the anarchists and soon finds himself a member of the inner council. Each member of the council is a code-named for a day of the week, and Syme receives the name "Thursday". Syme feels utterly alone and fears for his life among these murderous men. However he gradually discovers that there are other detectives among the anarchists. With them, he attempts to bring down the group of conspirators and makes many paradoxical discoveries along the way.
Chesterton addresses many themes from a Christian viewpoint in this novel. Some of them are enduring loneliness, confronting evil, overcoming fear, willingly encountering danger, the purpose of hardship and suffering, and understanding that we only have partial knowledge in this life. It is fun to read and provides many valuable insights on life.
