Introduction
The Bad Beginning is the first book in Lemony Snicket’s (real name Daniel Handler’s) best-selling children’s series, A Series Of Unfortunate Events. The book was first published in 1999, and has been adapted for screen twice- as part of the 2003 movie combining the first three books into one story, and as the first two episodes of a Netflix show which began airing in 2017.
Summary
The book begins by introducing us to the three Baudelaire siblings- fourteen-year-old Violet, twelve-year-old Klaus and infant Sunny. Each sibling has a distinct talent, which will come in handy at various points in the series as a whole. Violet is an inventor, Klaus is an avid reader and Sunny is a biter, known for her four unusually sharp teeth. She’s also known for her unusual vocabulary, which appears to be comprised of jibberish words that can be translated into full sentences. We find the children on a gloomy day on Briny Beach- which is the first of many literary references and allusions to come. Here, they are met by a family friend, Arthur Poe, who informs them that while they were at the beach, their home caught on fire, and both their parents were killed. And this is just chapter one.
From here, things only seem to get worse for the three siblings. Following a brief, but unpleasant stay with Mr. Poe and his family, they are taken to live with a distant relative named Count Olaf, who quickly reveals himself to be cruel, neglectful and abusive. This culminates in a horrifying scene where, after forcing the children to cook dinner, Olaf proceeds to, for lack of a better term, flip out because they hadn’t cooked roast beef, and strikes Klaus.
After their attempts to get help from Mr. Poe fall flat, the children learn that Olaf intends for them to star alongside him in his upcoming play- which they eventually realise is a scheme to trick Violet into legally marrying him, thus granting him access to the enormous fortune they’re due to inherit when she turns eighteen. The scheme is foiled, and the battle is won- though the war is far from over.
Analysis
This would normally be the part of the review where I go over the things I liked and the things I didn’t. However, for this particular review, I feel like a more general kind of analysis would be more appropriate. Here, I’ll be discussing the parts of this book which establish recurring ideas or characters for the rest of the series, as well as any particularly noteworthy themes and ideas.
The first thing that this book establishes is the identity of the narrator, Lemony Snicket. As the series goes on, it will become clear that Lemony is more than simply a pen-name for Handler- he’s a character within the world of the story itself, with siblings, a past and a deep connection to the Baudelaire family. However, in this first book, he is a mysterious figure, narrating events from an unspecified time in the future, and little is known about him. We’re also introduced to the protagonists, the Baudelaire orphans, and we learn the skill-sets which will aid them at many points in the following books. This book also establishes the main antagonist, Count Olaf, as well as his main motivation- obtaining the Baudelaire fortune by any means necessary- and the sheer depths of his depravity.
Other recurring characters we’re introduced to in this book include Arthur Poe, the banker who will only get more useless from here, and Olaf’s five main sidekicks, known as the hook-handed man, the white-faced women, the bald man and the one who looks like neither a man nor a woman (also known as the henchperson of indeterminate gender.) I’ll talk more about these guys later, though- and I will be criticizing the steaming hot mess that is the portrayal of the henchperson in the books when we get to books three and eight, trust me. For now, there isn’t much to say about them.
The book also ends in a way which will become a familiar pattern in the books to come- the children expose Olaf’s scheme at the last second, it seems as though he will be captured… and then he escapes. We will see some version of this play out in each of the first six books. Finally, there is the beginning of a recurring sense that the siblings’ greatest strength is each other, that they can only stop Olaf by working together and pooling their resources. It is thanks to Klaus’s research skills, for instance, that they are able to learn the dark truth of Olaf’s plan, and thanks to Violet’s quick thinking that they are able to stop it. Sunny does not have such a prominent role in this book, but that changes as the series progresses.
Final Thoughts
Whatever the title may say, this is far from a bad beginning to the series. While there are some scenes which are difficult to read due to their content, the book as a whole is a strong start for the series. It’s even funny in places, and the writing is the perfect blend of smart and accessible.
That’s all for this week- though check back tomorrow, when I will hopefully have a review of the first two episodes of the Netflix show for you guys. And next week, we’ll turn to book two, The Reptile Room.
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