By: Dylan Hernandez
When I first started reading “Documents in the Case”, I thought it was going to be some suboptimal investigation story, but it was rather unique and intriguing. I found pleasure in reading investigation stories growing up and knew I was in for a treat with this one especially since it was so different. I enjoyed being able to feel like I was helping solve the case because of the little hints and clues. It reminded me of a video game we played called “A Hand with Many Fingers”, where you get so many clues and don’t necessarily understand what you’re supposed to do with them. I honestly put them pretty close as it feels like it’s left up to interpretation. The game ends when you find the final clue, but you still don’t know who did it. This feels sort of the same, where I began questioning if we were even looking for a killer or looking for a long lost kid.
The setup with the plot is interesting because it isn’t your normal backstory of characters, rather information detailing situations or events in chronological order. We start off with learning about the death of Sir William Beauvoir, Bart., which is how every mystery should begin by showing what we are trying to solve. There were many parts about the backstory that made sense, but still some small details you needed to follow in order to keep up.They decided to keep the central mystery at the heart of the story in order to captivate the reader’s attention. Not letting us know what information on either of the characters was true or not. It’s not like you can believe everything you read especially if it’s coming from a letter or mysterious telegram. Which makes sense considering this involved relationships, motivations and conflicts.
I believe one thing that stuck out to me was the author’s ability to pull together multiple narratives in order to show a rich sense of interconnected lives. We see letters, telegrams, pictures, and other documents that are unfolding pieces of drama right in front of us, but are also invited to interpret this puzzle alongside the characters. What I found so compelling was the amount of detail put into the investigation. As I did feel lost keeping up with it over time, I felt like there was great detail in hints and clues. I think this was a reading that someone could easily stumble over clues, so it’s important to go back if anything ever gets confusing.
I do have a couple pieces of criticism towards this piece. One being the lack of depth in certain characters. For example, it’s not that we are necessarily introduced to every single person you see but it feels like we have some with little to know knowledge of who they are. Meaning, even if you thought they could play a part in the story, it is likely that they didn’t. I think that’s what can throw you off in an instant with these types of stories.
Additionally, I think the reading being mostly in the form of letters is interesting but somewhat off putting. Maybe it’s not that popular of an opinion but I wasn’t a fan of it. I believe the author wanted to add a layer of intrigue and even allow for multiple interpretations. I thought it was creating a larger distance between myself and the characters. Also some of the advertisements, newspaper accounts and personal correspondence give some relevant information to solving this case but others don’t give much. And when you think about that, it could be information to throw you off, but it could also have some meaning that you really need to think about.
However, I do see some shared similarities with the criticisms I have made in a way where they do contribute to the reading. With the letter format, I believe the author used this in a way to explore alternative storytelling approaches in order to keep the reader engaged. There is so much background, some not needed, but so much that is well connected to major characters. Not every letter is the same though, as they have been talking about a character or a certain situation going on. I do still believe each one of them holds some sort of purpose whether you take anything from them or not.
In conclusion, Matthews and Bunner end the story with a peculiar poem. I thought the conclusion of the story was almost left up to interpretation on what could happen next. The plot unfolded throughout the entire reading like any other mystery novel. To me, it seemed like a satisfying conclusion that was able to tie everything together. However, I did think that it left room for reflection. It seems to be describing an eerie haunting in the forest. The documents before are believed to be providing context or hinting at the connection between the poem and the story. Almost making you think that she is identifying herself as a victim of love. I’m not sure if it means choosing a side, dead or alive, but I think it’s pretty convincing that she’s dead. It makes me think, when the forest is sleeping, creatures are still roaming in the night. It makes me think of something scary, like you’re never alone or someone is watching you.
Intermittent Mechanism 