Sherlock Holmes — The curious case of
My introduction to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes took place on a breezy Sunday morning back in 2004. Venturing into my father’s bookshelf, the dusty paperback caught my eyes. The connection was instant as I ran my fingers through the coarse edges. Little did I know the book is going to change my perspective about literature.
The first novel I read was “The Hound of Baskervilles”. The night I finished the novel, I remember being genuinely scared and taking cover under the blanket to protect myself from the hound. It was my first exhilarating experience from reading a thriller.
The book explored the lives of the citizens of England in detail during the Victorian era. The writing style inspired me immensely as it literally made me feel like I was experiencing the events from the book firsthand. The train ride from London to the countryside, the scenic beauty of Devonshire, the cursed hounds living in the moor — I could experience it all through the eyes of Doctor Watson.
Over the next two months, I read the whole collection at least twice. I would have the two volumes of the books by my side day and night. Though The Hound of Baskervilles was the first novel I read, my favourite is “The Valley of Fear”. “The Adventure of the Naval Treaty” and “The Adventure of the Priory School” are my favourites from the short story section.
Sherlock Holmes cultivated my interest in reading, and my desire to write. The book made me explore the possibilities that lay with literature. It helped me look at life from a new perspective. A perspective where we can paint the world with words.
“Education never ends, Watson. It is a series of lessons, with the greatest for the last.” — Sherlock Holmes (His Last Bow)
