A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Ersatz Elevator

Book the sixth in Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events, The Ersatz Elevator is the book where the series takes on a bit of a transformation and becomes something else entirely. 

Once again, the Baudelaire orphans find themselves in the care of new guardians: rich and “in” married couple Esme and Jerome Squalor. Although the children find it very nice to have at least once guardian who genuinely cares about them, the poor children cannot help but be miserable and anxious: anxious about the inevitable reappearance of Count Olaf, anxious about the mystery of the letters V.F.D, and anxious about their kidnapped friends, the triplets Duncan and Isadora Quagmire. The children are right to be anxious of course because, sure enough, Olaf appears, but this time the children discover that there is more treachery surrounding this man than they initially thought. 

To run with Snicket’s style of writing: the term “story within a story” simply means that during one story, there is a second one that is told at the same time. The Ersatz Elevator is a classic example of a story within a story, well actually, more of a separate mystery within a story. As I mentioned in an earlier review, Snicket does not just write about the Baudelaire orphans from the point of the observer, he actually refers to himself quite extensively and mentions copious amounts of research that he has personally done into the lives of the heroes. 

In this book another mystery begins to unfold, one that seems to directly link the misfortunes of the Baudelaire children and the author. We hear the characters of the story mention other characters, either fictional or real, I cannot tell, like the name Beatrice whom, it is mentioned in previous books, is Snicket’s lost lover. This is the book where events take a turn for the confusing and a second, bigger, story comes to the surface, one that is difficult to class as either fact or fiction: real life experience or marketing pitch? It’s all getting rather interesting now isn’t it? 

Filled with stylish items, pinstripes, salmon, disguises, mystery, and further misery, The Ersatz Elevator is the sixth book in Lemony Snicket’s popular series and is just as exciting, if a little more mystifying, as its predecessors. I love this series.