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A review by xkrow
The House of Silk by Anthony Horowitz
4.0
Though I've been aware of Homes for almost all of my conscious life (Adventures of Sherlock Homes is the first book I ever bought) I think I was quite too young (and immature with English) to engage with the enigmatic detective at a level needed. Still: his methods of deduction combined with the thrill of adventure were still enough to entice me. So, in a lot of ways, despite knowing Holmes for so long, Horowitz's The House of Silk marks my first real engagement with the literary Holmes (literally to exclude the modern films and television).
In that way, it was sometimes hard to reconcile my naive view of Holmes with this version, but ultimately I found it quite interesting. We are very much in the mind of Watson, getting his perspective on the matters that unfold in this dark tale, trying to piece together what exactly connects these seemingly unconnected pieces of the puzzle. Though the modern era (especially since the book has come out) has dulled the readers to one of the ultimate twists, it is still horrifying to imagine, and Horowitz does reserve another to satisfy. In the fashion of a good mystery narrative, I was able to deduce the truth but only moments before Holmes revealed it. In that way, I got the feeling of satisfaction while also realizing so many elements that I overlooked.
"Show Holmes a drop of water and he would deduce the existence of the Atlantic. Show it to me and I would look for a tap. That was the difference between us."
It was this ability to create this grander narrative, while still making each chapter engaging and to lay down Watson's voice, that made me really enjoy this book. The other element of this was the relationship between Watson and Holmes. It is readily apparent that Watson loved Sherlock as much as a friend can. There are parts of Sherlock's personality that annoy him, but who can truly say that isn't the case with their closest acquaintances? He so utterly admires his friend, ready to put himself in harm's way in order to protect "that great mind", to imagine him strumming his violin in his old age, playing for him . Beyond the mystery, its this relationship, captured beautifully by Horowitz.
To illustrate, an interaction between Watson and another character.
‘You swear?’
‘Yes.’
‘On what?’
‘On my marriage.’
‘Not good enough.’
‘On my friendship with Holmes.’
He nodded. ‘Now we understand each other.’
In that way, it was sometimes hard to reconcile my naive view of Holmes with this version, but ultimately I found it quite interesting. We are very much in the mind of Watson, getting his perspective on the matters that unfold in this dark tale, trying to piece together what exactly connects these seemingly unconnected pieces of the puzzle. Though the modern era (especially since the book has come out) has dulled the readers to one of the ultimate twists, it is still horrifying to imagine, and Horowitz does reserve another to satisfy. In the fashion of a good mystery narrative, I was able to deduce the truth but only moments before Holmes revealed it. In that way, I got the feeling of satisfaction while also realizing so many elements that I overlooked.
"Show Holmes a drop of water and he would deduce the existence of the Atlantic. Show it to me and I would look for a tap. That was the difference between us."
It was this ability to create this grander narrative, while still making each chapter engaging and to lay down Watson's voice, that made me really enjoy this book. The other element of this was the relationship between Watson and Holmes. It is readily apparent that Watson loved Sherlock as much as a friend can. There are parts of Sherlock's personality that annoy him, but who can truly say that isn't the case with their closest acquaintances? He so utterly admires his friend, ready to put himself in harm's way in order to protect "that great mind", to imagine him strumming his violin in his old age, playing for him . Beyond the mystery, its this relationship, captured beautifully by Horowitz.
To illustrate, an interaction between Watson and another character.
‘You swear?’
‘Yes.’
‘On what?’
‘On my marriage.’
‘Not good enough.’
‘On my friendship with Holmes.’
He nodded. ‘Now we understand each other.’