Before there was Winston Groom’s Forrest Gump, there was Hillaire Belloc‘s very British, Mr. Petre.

This novel takes place in a futuristic London of 1953, having been written in 1925. (Interestingly, 1953 was the year that Belloc died at the age of 82.) Belloc’s satire almost gives a slap to the face to the growing British socialism of his day, as well as to the prominent rise of Darwinian naturalism and secularism heralded by Belloc’s literary adversary, H.G. Wells (at least it seemed so to me). Although I have not researched their rivalry to that depth, I would not be surprised to find that this novel was an added barb from Belloc in his glaring criticism of Outline of History by Wells. The timeline would certainly agree to it.

The main character, Mr. Petre (pronounced Peter), has landed in England from America; and on the train to London, has lost his memory of who he is, and except for general information and instinctive or repetitive motor skills, he has no recollection of what he has done before entering his conveyance for London. All he can recall is the name “Petre.”

Providence Meets Presumption

It’s providence meets presumption in this casual adventure of amnesia and mistaken identity. It may not have been entirely fair to mention Groom’s Forrest Gump as a comparison to this book because I’m sure that some who have enjoyed Groom’s tale will not enjoy this one, and viceversa. Yet, as I read this book, I was reminded of several similarities of predicament and vindication between Mr. Petre’s adventures and Forrest Gump’s; but instead of an idiot’s triumphs through providential tom foolery, Belloc’s tale is spun of an amnesiac’s fortune by providential presumption and mistaken identity.

Distinctive British Wit

Charming and clever, with distinctively British wit are the order of the day in Belloc’s Mr. Petre. Here is a delightful excerpt of a conversation between the desk clerk of the hotel “Splendide” and a private investigator Mr. Petre hired to find out about himself:

“Who was that old fellow you sent me to-day?”

The clerk drew a little closer, put his mouth close to Mr. Daniel’s ear, and murmured the name.

For once in his life Mr. Daniels showed real, honest, innocent surprise. His eyes opened widely, and then his expression changed to a mixture of vast amusement and vast admiration combined.

“By God!” he said, “he’s a genius!”

“We all know that,” answered Harrison drily.

“A genius!” shouted Mr. Daniels, ordering a second round on the strength of it. “A genius! He comes into my room like a lamb and asks me to find out about himself!”

“Testing you, he was,” said the clerk Harrison with profound psychology.

“That’s it,” answered Mr. Daniels wisely, wagging his head from side to side. “Testing me! And didn’t find me wanting! Ah! He knows Jos. Daniels by now! He’ll know who he came to.”

If you enjoy the literary works of Gilbert Keith Chesterton, George Bernard Shaw, and yes, even Herbert George Wells, you will enjoy the clever and distinctively British wit of Hilaire Belloc.

The volume at my disposal was from the USA’s Second Edition printing published by Robert M. McBride & Company of New York. What made this book especially interesting was the inclusion of pencil illustrations drawn by G.K. Chesterton. I purchased it for 25 cents two years ago at “America’s Favorite Thrift Store” in Pell City, Alabama. I’ve been able to spot the sturdy bindings of older hardbound books for some time and I remember how the subtle imprint of BELLOC at top and MCBRIDE at bottom of the jacketless publication caught my eye.

Had I not read The Pilgrim’s Progress again this year, I would have lauded Hilaire Belloc’s novel, Mr. Petre, as the best book I’ve read in 2013. That said, Belloc’s Mr. Petre was certainly the best novel I’ve read this year. I most highly recommend this book. I give it the Coveted Eclectic Cattle Prods Book Review Rating of 5 stars out of 5.

Mr. Petre
by Hilaire Belloc

My GoodReads Rating: 5 of 5 stars

View all my reviews

Be Sociable, Share!

•