A Book Review: The Club Dumas by Arturo Pérez-Reverte

On a wintry night, I turned to the last page in The Club Dumas. This is a mystery novel, written by Spanish author Arturo Pérez-Reverte, and it is translated from Spanish into English. If the book's title doesn't ring the bell, then I will mention a movie called The Ninth Gate. Have you seen it? That movie, starring Johnny Deep and directed by Roman Polanski, was an adaptation of the book. While the movie was ok, but after reading this book, I realized that Roman Polanski's adaption captured nothing but a shadow of the book's full glory!

Synopsis:

On a cobble-stoned street of Madrid treads a lean, middle-aged man. A pair of glasses rests on his face, making him appear harmless, or rabbit-like, even. However, a careful observer cannot help but noticing a predatory confidence in him. There was something in his demeanor, something about the grin on his face, that made him look wolfish – a hunter ready to strike at its prey. The man's name is Lucas Corso, a book detective and an antiquarian book dealer.

Corso is like Sherlock Holmes when it comes to tracking down VERY expensive old books. He is damn good at what he does. He is also a mercenary, offering his services to the highest bidder. Corso's clients usually have fat wallets and loose morals, such as the powerful individual who just hired him to authenticate the fragments from the original manuscript of The Three Musketeers, written by Alexandre Dumas. The valuable manuscript came into the light after its collector committed suicide.

As soon as Corso began his examination on the manuscript, he was drawn into a diabolical plot involving an underground cult, the devil worship, and a forbidden tome. Meanwhile, adding another dramatic touch to his strange ordeal, Corso also found himself entangled in the lives of a cast of characters resembling Dumas' masterpiece. Corso could have bailed out from the job, but curiosity got the better of him. Assisted by a mysterious beauty bearing the familiar name of Irene Adler, Corso embarked on a journey from Madrid, Toledo, to Paris, where he will uncover an old secret.

Some secrets, however, are better left forgotten...

My thoughts on the book:

I love The Club Dumas! A slow reader, I usually require three to four sittings to read a 400 page book. But I read this novel in one sitting; I started reading it on a Saturday afternoon, and I finished it on the same night. I couldn't put it down. I have not read any book quite like The Club Dumas. The closest comparisons that come to my mind are Umberto Eco's The Name of the Rose, and Geraldine Brooks' People of the Book. While I like The Name of the Rose, but I found The Club Dumas delivered extra kicks and it was hella fun to read it.

The Club Dumas is a mystery novel about books. The central mystery revolves around a body of literary classics; from Arthur Conan Doyle, Alexandre Dumas, to Homer. A bibliophile will fall in love with this book within minutes. Meanwhile, its settings rendered a gothic feel into the story; as Corso's investigations continued, the story took on a very dark and sinister tone. 50% into the book, it resembled more than a detective noir; you begin to feel as if you are reading something esoteric and forbidden...like an arcane story not meant to be witnessed by the mortal eyes!

Indeed, The Club Dumas is both cryptic and macabre. The characters in this book, too, are full of intrigues. The protagonist, Lucas Corso, is a man of questionable ethics. But you will root for him anyway. You will root for him not because he is a role model for virtue, but because you are hoping that through Corso, you can see the answer to the mystery (hopefully in the next chapter, always). It suffices to day, the author succeeded at maintaining the suspense and the mystery right until the book's end. Meanwhile, the supporting characters are a memorable bunch. They each hold a clue for piecing together the puzzle in the book, and they are fascinating. I think The Club Dumas is a cult classic of a book, and its characterization is what made it so good. You will remember these characters not because you like them and wish to befriend them. No, these characters will leave lasting impressions on you because they are freakish.

At the beginning of this review, I mentioned the movie adaption, The Ninth Gate, is but a shadow of this book's full glory. And I mean it! The Ninth Gate movie only adapted half of the story, and the film also altered the plot significantly. To be more specific, the movie omitted the plot about Alexandre Dumas and The Three Musketeers. The chances are, if you have seen The Ninth Gate and thought it was mediocre, then you may find The Club Dumas provides a much better story. Meanwhile, if you are like The Ninth Gate, then I think you will love The Club Dumas.