A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Reptile Room

By: Lemony Snicket

“It is remarkable that different people will have different thoughts when they look at the same thing.”

Lemony Snicket, A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Reptile Room

*This post contains spoilers

As I probably mentioned in my review/discussion of The Bad Beginning, this is not my first read through of the series. With that, I’m a little more critical and I can’t negate the fact that I know where the series ultimately goes.

The story boils down to a murder mystery but the culprit is known the whole time. The question is how they accomplished it and what is their next move?

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Overview

The Baudelaire orphans have just escaped the clutches of Count Olaf, a dastardly villain bent on taking their fortune for his own.

Sent to live with another distant relative, Montgomery Montgomery, the siblings enjoy a few peaceful days with the reptile expert and are excited for their future.

But of course this tale has no happy ending. Before long an enemy from the past re-enters the lives of the Baudelaires, determined to once again turn their happy world unfortunate.

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My thoughts:

The theme of regret and loss are prevalent in this entry to the series. The siblings must face the death of their beloved uncle while trying to cope with the fact that they never had a chance to tell him how much he mattered to them

“She was remembering the last conversation she and her siblings had had with Uncle Monty, and thinking with a cold rush of shame that it hadn’t really been a conversation at all.”

Lemony Snicket, A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Reptile Room

Let me just say that Uncle Monty is a great character and it makes his demise even more tragic. Even though he couldn’t see who Count Olaf really was, he still understood that he presented a danger to his family and intended on leaving him behind. Up to this point he has done more for the Baudelaires than any other adult has in the series.

The story also continues the theme of gaslighting. It is frustrating for someone to tell you that you’re wrong or imagining things. You start to question whether you are overreacting or susceptible to seeing danger everywhere from past trauma. This is a tough lesson to get across to young readers but it is an important life lesson to learn and these stories are a smart way to introduce the concept.

Here are my plot point issues:

How can they go to Peru? They most likely do not have passports as all of their belongings burned in the fire. It hasn’t been a long time since the incident so there is very little chance that they would be able to have gotten the paperwork expedited to travel.

Also, why do they always feel the need to tell the bad guy that he has lost before they actually escape him? Klaus, stop telling Olaf your plan ahead of time. Just do it and don’t give him the opportunity to foil it. His hubris is causing some serious issues for everyone around them.

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Overall:

I don’t think it is as strong as the first book but the character of Uncle Monty is one of my favorites throughout the series.

It sets up a good pattern and expectations for the rest of the series going forward.

Rating: 4/5 stars