Book Info

Title – Elephants Can Remember

Author – Agatha Christie

Series – Hercule Poirot Series

Genre – Crime fiction

Language – English

Pages – 230

Publisher – Collins Crime Club

Year of Publication – November, 1972.

Plot

Successful crime novelist, Mrs. Ariadne Oliver, is accosted by a certain Mrs. Burton-Cox at a literary event and inquired about an old murder and suicide case involving her goddaughter’s parents. She is informed that Mrs. Burton-Cox’s son is betrothed to her goddaughter and the later is unable to approve of the marriage till she finds out whether the mother killed the father and then shot herself or it was the other way round. Despite her initial revulsion, she couldn’t help but get tangled up in it when her goddaughter requests her to find out the truth behind the tragedy.  She seeks out the famous Monsieur Hercule Poirot, an investigator, and together they set out to solve the mystery. They start by chasing elephants, because elephants can remember. How they unravel the secret of who killed whom makes up for the story.

My Take

Being a Agatha Christie novel, I had high expectations from the book. Once you start getting the hang of the happenings, the plot becomes very predictable, the clues a tad too obvious. Poirot is not his usual confident self and role in the story was more of a side-kick. Halfway through the book I successfully solved the case before our clever Poirot could, something which has never been possible with Christie books. There’s usually some twist at the end which would blow your mind off, but that’s not true for this one.

It is definitely not a bad book, rather a very average Agatha Christie novel. I like my books to shock/surprise me, and it’s the first Christie book which has failed to do so. Hence, my disappointment. If you have not read many Agatha Christie novels or don’t mind solving the case yourself, then you would like it.

Overall, it is a light read.

Favourite Quotes

“Old sins have long shadows”

“In my end is my beginning, or should one put it differently? “In my beginning was my tragic end”…”

My Rating – 3/5 (Average)

Recommended for – Everyone

Thanks for reading.

Stay Zingy!