And Then There Were None

“There was something magical about an island—the mere word suggested fantasy. You lost touch with the world—an island was a world of its own. A world, perhaps, from which you might never return.”

rating - 4.5/5

10 strangers, a poem about 10 soldiers dying and a series of murders.

This was my first Agatha Christie and I can totally see why it's such a fan favourite.
[b:And Then There Were None|16299|And Then There Were None|Agatha Christie|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1638425885l/16299.SY75.jpg|3038872] is a fast paced, simple and beautifully crafted crime thriller that leaves you with a sense of unease, discomfort and a harrowing feeling. The plot is such, that you're routinely creeped out, second- guessing every character and questioning your views. Each element of the story is intricate and the structure, well laid out.
The plot is the story's plus point and also it's setback. While I love that you know exactly what's going to happen (due to the silly yet ominous poem the murderer follows) the reader is still intrigued with the whos and the hows. It also is the groundwork for why we aren't given too many character details (thereby making them feel two- dimensional) or why the reader doesn't connect with any character (I, for instance didn't want to root for anybody in case they ended up being the murderer.)- A classic feature of the numerous locked room murder mysteries that are very popular now. [b:And Then There Were None|16299|And Then There Were None|Agatha Christie|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1638425885l/16299.SY75.jpg|3038872] definitely set the bar for this genre back in 1939.

Despite these pointers and the writing style being a little too straight forward for my taste, I really enjoyed the story. I like that even though most readers can make an educated guess or have a gut feeling about who the murderer could be, they are left unsure or on the fence about it at certain points of the story. The ending is not my favourite way of revealing things because it feels a lot like “um anyways so, this is what happened” and feels disconnected to the plot, but kind of works for the story i guess.
However, the wire and gun trick Wargrave uses seemed a little too far fetched to me. Also a few plot-holes that I was able to think of: ➙an examination should have been able to distinguish the gun shot as self inflicted, right?➙how did Wargrave manage to predict the storm and plan out the the entire thing coinciding with the two day storm. Because come to think of it, it is essential that there is no communication to the mainland for this to work

Something else i really liked was the psychological aspect the plot explores. Put 10 people together in a house with no way of leaving, tell them there's a murderer amongst them and watch the chaos unfold. The crimes they committed laid out in the open, do they confess or deny it throughout? The prolonged mental strain and fear the house mates endure, flashbacks of their crimes, the constant blaming, mistrust and alliances being formed were very interesting to read about. Vera's death was also an example of how this played out. ” ‘one of us'.. ‘one of us... one of us..' Three words, endlessly repeated, dinning themselves hour after hour into five receptive brains.”
Overall, I think it's a great read because it surprises the reader on atleast one, if not many occasions. I would definitely love to reread it and find details I might've missed on the first read.