#MyAgathaChristieYear-Part 7 ‘After The Funeral’

After a pretty extended break, here, once more, to exercise his ‘leetle grey cells‘, is Hercule Poirot in ‘After The Funeral’

The novel I have been reading is the 1953 Fontana edition (check out my Instagram for the cover, I am a big fan of the often bizarre, often gruesome paintings which adorn the Fontana books!)

It has a mere 192 pages and Poirot himself doesn’t appear for quite a way into the story.

So , let’s see what this is all about, shall we?

When Cora is savagely murdered with a hatchet, the extraordinary remark she made the previous day at her brother’s Richard funeral suddenly takes on a chilling significance. At the reading of Richard’ s will, Cora was clearly heard to say: “It’s been hushed up very nicely, hasn’t it… But he was murdered, wasn’t he?”

In desperation, the family solicitor turns to Hercule Poirot to unravel the mystery..

First published in 1953, this is one of those stories that, on re-reading, takes your breath away at just how clever Christie was. I think, it is the first time where I have seen behind the curtain and noticed what i never had before, she puts it all in plain sight from the very start of the tale.

At the beginning, butler and general factotum, Old Lanscombe, is preparing for the arrival of the Abernethie family at Enderby Hall, for the reading of Richard Abernethie’s will.

As various in laws, out laws, and offspring turn up, the will reading goes through, quite smoothly, until, known for her random and odd outbursts (due to her artistic temperament), Richard’s sister Cora, blurts out what she thought was common knowledge.

Everyone stared at her and she seemed a little flustered. 

”I think you’re all quite right,” she said hurriedly.”Quite right. I mean-it can’t do any good-making it public.Very unpleasant for everybody.It should be kept strictly in the family.”

The faces turned towards her looked even more blank.

Mr Entwhistle leaned forward:

”Really,Cora, I’m afraid I don’t quite understand what you mean.”

Cora Lansquenet looked round at the family in wide-eyed surprise.She tilted her head on one side with a bird-like movement.

”But he was murdered,wasn’t he?” she said.

Well!

And, on that bombshell, the entire country estate, entitled, privileged set up which has been painstakingly painted, all falls down on the words of a seemingly flippant and thoughtless sentence.

What’s made even more confusing is that, within a day of the funeral, Cora is despatched in a thoroughly nasty and gruesome(for Christie) way.

Made to look like a burglary gone wrong (who brings a hatchet to a burglary?!), this throws what she said at her brother’s funeral into stark relief-did Cora have a point?

Lawyer, Mr Entwhistle, is most concerned, and takes it upon himself to investigate with his erstwhile friend and confidante, one H.Poirot.

The violence with which Cora was killed indicates a ferociousness of feeling, therefore needing the application of a certain psychological perspective, which Poirot excels at. Annoying she may have been, with a tendency to voice the uncomfortable truths which others acknowledge, but rarely let slip out of their mouths, but Cora really did not deserve to die as she did.

There is a very deliberate humour intertwined within the narrative which sparks between the characters, the words ricochet off each other in a way which feels entirely natural-

”I don’t know what one puts on a stone when it’s murder…Can’t very well say ‘entered into rest’ or anything like that. One will have to choose a text -something appropriate.RIP? No that’s only for Catholics.”

”O Lord,thou hast seen my wrong .Judge thou my case,” murmured Mr Entwhistle.

The startled glance Timothy bent on him made Mr Entwhistle smile faintly.

”From Lamentations,” he said.”It seems appropriate if somewhat melodramatic. However, it will eb some time before the question of the Memorial Stone comes up.The-er-ground has to settle,you know. Now don’t you worry about anything.We will deal with things and keep you fully informed.”

Mr Entwhistle left for London by the breakfast train on the following morning.

When he got home,after a little hesitation,he rang up a friend of his.

Enter POIROT!

Mr Entwhistle is able to pass onto Hercule, all his observations from visiting those who had been present at Richard’s will reading, and asks him to intercede. Because, instinct about the not totally unexpected, but sooner than anticipated death of a friend is one thing.

The closeness of his sister’s murder, someone known for always being truthful, is quite another.

And here, Poirot and Christie do what they do best, they take apart the family structure, gauge the expectations of each individual, balance up what they stood to gain, and draw a logical conclusion.

When they do, you once again (well, I did!) feel blindsided by the obvious, and really appreciate the way in which the intricate layers and structure of this tale is constructed, and how it shows a mirror to the expectations of individuals to benefit from the hard work of others. For, no matter how nasty a manner of death may be, the exhibited greed of so-called family, is a much nastier beast.

Join me next time for –

Links-https://www.agathachristie.com/stories/after-the-funeral

Agatha Christie is the best-selling author of all time. She wrote 66 crime novels and story collections, fourteen plays, and six novels under a pseudonym ,Mary Westmacott.

Her books have sold over a billion copies in the English language and a billion in translation. According to Index Translationum, she remains the most-translated individual author, having been translated into at least 103 languages.

She is the creator of two of the most enduring figures in crime literature-Hercule Poirot and Miss Jane Marple-and author of ‘The Mousetrap’, the longest-running play in the history of modern theatre.

Links-https://www.podbean.com/ew/dir-sgq2s-30a5a97

https://www.agathachristie.com/

Links to the other review posts-

My Agatha Christie Year Part 9-Halloween Party

My Agatha Christie Year Part 8-Lord Edgware Dies

My Agatha Christie Year Part 7-After The Funeral

My Agatha Christie Year Part 6-Five Little Pigs

My Agatha Christie Year Part 5 -Poirot Investigates

My Agatha Christie Year Part 4-Cards On the Table

My Agatha Christie Year Part 3- N Or M?

My Agatha Christie Year-Part 2-The Man In The Brown Suit

My Agatha Christie Year Part 1-Miss Marple’s Final Cases