(First reviewed at www.nowiamthirty.journoblog.net 7 February 2011)I don’t know who first warned society not to judge a book by its cover, but he was right. The Theban Mysteries contains in its title the word “mystery”, bears the logo of Virago Crime, and pegs the plot synopsis in the blurb on “a dead body in the old school building”.But this isn’t what I’d call a murder mystery. In fact, I’m still trying to decide how to classify a book which is equal parts feminism, social commentary, Greek drama and literary analysis.Certainly I couldn’t very easily summarise a plot for you, except to say that there is indeed a school and there is, eventually, a body, and in conclusion we are given a rather unsatisfactory explanation as to how and why it ended up there.The book is set in 1970s New York and I have to confess that for the most part I was baffled by the socio-political subtext – all Vietnam and educational reform and long-haired Harvard drop outs. And this was before we actually got to the school, where ancient literature, academic debate and the class system were thrown into the mix.Before too many pages had been turned I already felt as if the book was written for a club of which I was not a member, and the feeling only grew with every passing chapter. I don’t know who or what Roncevaux or Thermoplylae are or were, I’ve never studied the Antigone and my understanding of the ramifications of the Vietnam War are, at best, sketchy.Perhaps my suspicions should have been raised by the fact that the dedication is written in Greek symbols which, let’s face it, few of us can read. But I don’t think it was just my lack of classical education or the fact that I was born in the 80s which blunted my enjoyment of the book.It slipped dangerously close to boring as, after more than 50 pages without a hint of a crime, the students all sat about discussing “the conflict between individual judgement and the conventions of society”. Where was this body I was promised?And I almost gave up on the third night of reading when I picked up at the beginning of chapter five to find Cross had begun including extracts of her characters’ poetry.But then, finally, the puzzle was presented. Not a body, sadly, and not even a very clear puzzle, but it was enough to stop me from giving up on The Theban Mysteries in favour of a well-thumbed Agatha Christie. And the body did eventually appear.I don’t want to be too cutting in my review because there is no doubt that Amanda Cross has skill. She is a clever woman, and she has a certain way with the English language, even if it is a bit formal.But she doesn’t really know how to tell a good story, and if that’s what you’re after then you will be disappointed with The Theban Mysteries.It is clever book, and on the rare occasion when I understood it, I enjoyed feeling clever, but it wasn’t a relaxing, entertaining read and I wouldn’t rush to pick up another title from the author’s back catalogue.
Interesting little mystery about a teacher-turned-detective who goes back to lead a seminar on Antigone at her old New York prep school, sort of in the Jessica Fletcher tradition but with a bit more edge. The mystery was a little flat, and I didn't even remotely care whodunit, but I liked the droll, self-aware protagonist. The discussion of the Vietnam War in the context of Antigone was also nicely drawn, and helped me gain a bit of perspective of just how divisive the war was even for wealthy, privileged people on opposite sides of the generation gap (and those in the middle, like Fansler herself). I didn't realize this book was the third in the series when I picked it up; I might go back for the first two.
Do You like book The Theban Mysteries (2001)?
I enjoyed her first three novels, but I think Cross starts to really hit her stride with this one. As with some of the others, the actual 'mystery' doesn't occur until the novel is almost half over, so I would not recommend it to people who do not enjoy setting and character and lengthy conversations about the cultural relevance of Sophocles _Antigone_ to young people during the Vietnam War. For myself, I found it interesting, perhaps a little more as a cultural document than a novel; I like that Cross does not find easy answers for any of the generations she represents, and having grown up with parents who saw themselves as 'hippies' (whether or not they actually were), I like to see other sides of the issue and get an emotional sense of what it might have been like to have one's eternal verities attacked.
—Cassandra
