And Then There Were None - by Agatha Christie
[Also published as Ten Little Indians]
The Poem:
Ten little Indian boys went out to dine;
One choked his little self and then there were nine.
Nine little Indian boys sat up very late;
One overslept himself and then there were eight.
Eight little Indian boys traveling in Devon;
One said he’d stay there and then there were seven.
Seven little Indian boys chopping up sticks;
One chopped himself in halves and then there were six.
Six little Indian boys playing with a hive;
A bumblebee stung one and then there were five.
Five little Indian boys going in for law;
One got in Chancery and then there were four.
Four little Indian boys walking in the zoo;
A big bear hugged one and then there were two.
Two little Indian boys sitting in the sun;
One got frizzled up and then there was one.
One little Indian boy left all alone;
He went and hanged himself and then there were none.
This innocuous looking poem was written on a parchment over the mantelpiece of all the guests who were invited to ‘Indian Island’ by a mysterious host.
The Guests:
The guests, Justice Wargrave, Vera Claythorne (a games schoolmistress), Philip Lombard (a hired security man), Emily Brent (the old spinster), General Macarthur, Dr. Armstrong, Tony Marston (the hunk), Blore (the impersonator) and the two servants at the island Thomas and Ethel Rogers – were called up by a (fictional?) Mr. Owen to Indian Island (off Oakbridge).
The Plot:
These ten people are gathered together and left stranded on the island. Then a recorded voice reads out the ‘sins’ (mostly murders) committed by each one! The guests realise too late that they have been called here to pay for these ‘sins’.
Then, one by one, each of these persons die. Yes, you guessed it right! The deaths occur in a fashion similar to the innocent looking school poem!
Suddenly there is tremendous mistrust amongst the ‘prisoners’. After each murder, groups are formed and broken; every person is mistrusted and suspected by everyone else. The guests explore the possibility of an outsider, but are never sure. Everyone is in the presence of everyone else, yet the murders continue! To make matters further worse, Lombard is known to carry a gun, and Armstrong the doc is armed with curious drugs.
Who’s orchestrating this morbid drama? Will anyone be left to find out at the end? Or, will it be: ''And Then There Were None''?
The Style:
This book is touted, not without basis, as the greatest mystery novels of all time. It is truly her masterpiece, as nothing else can match the sheer intensity and spine-tingling suspense of this book.
In just a wee over 200 pages, the author holds the reader’s attention in a vice-like grip, never relenting, never relaxing.
Agatha Christie’s writing was (pretty unjustly) slotted by someone as being stereotyped – a crime is committed, there are some suspects, each one is examined, and one is convicted. Well, that basic premise doesn’t vary here; only, each suspect acquits himself or herself by paying the ultimate price – by becoming a victim!
This book was first published in 1940, and is considered even today as a ‘must-possess’ by aficionados.
The Dame:
Agatha Christie! The name evokes the classiest (chilling) memories, and simply commands respect among all writers of the Queen’s language. She sports many feathers on her accomplished cap, including (still) the world’s bestselling author, and the most popular mystery writer of all time!
Her many works include They Came to Baghdad, A Murder Is Announced, A Pocket Full of Rye, and Partners in Crime, primarily murder mysteries. The undisputed Czarina of Suspense has also penned the greatly successful Jane Marple and Hercule Poirot series (the latter converted into a successful TV series). She started writing in the 1910s and went on till the 1960s.
Not for nothing was she honoured with Britain’s highest – she was made a Dame of the British Empire.
Final Words of Wisdom:
This is undoubtedly a one-sitting book. Barring a natural calamity, I can’t see any reader using a bookmarker on this one! And don’t kill the suspense for yourself by reading the last portions first. You will be reading this book a second time anyway, so you can nod knowingly then!!
