A maddening literary puzzle only four people have solved
"Cain’s Jawbone" came out in 1934.
There are more than a couple puzzlers in my family. And when my book came out in 2019, Will Shortz invited me to speak at his annual puzzle and word conference where I met many smart and obsessed folk bent on solving puzzles.
But I’d never heard of Cain’s Jawbone until I saw it in Blackwell’s in Oxford. It’s a nearly unsolvable literary murder mystery published in 1934.
No no, not a mere murder mystery novel like an Agatha Christie. Oh, sweet summer child, if only.
What is Cain’s Jawbone?
Cain’s Jawbone, by Edward Powys Mathers, is a book where every page is out of order, and only when they are placed in the correct order is the murder mystery revealed.
And only four people, FOUR, have ever solved it. For a long time it was just three, but then some guy solved it during COVID lockdown.
At this point, you might be wondering what I wondered: Pages being out of order isn’t that big of a deal. You just follow where one page naturally leads into the next. But here’s the kicker: Each page ends at the end of a sentence, and begins at the start of a new sentence. So it’s far from obvious where one page fits in relation to another. And on top of that, it’s full of allusions to literature of the day, puns, poem excerpts, mysterious clues, etc.
Only when all the pages are in their proper order is the mystery revealed.
When it was published, there was actually prize money for anyone who could figure it out. And when it was rediscovered and republished by Unbound books a few years ago, there was a new prize offered (adjusted for inflation, of course).
Driving people insane for 90 years
When the book was rediscovered in the internet age, it became a bit of a viral hit, and YouTubers and TikTokkers attempted to solve it.
It’s fun to see these proudly nerdy puzzlers and book lovers pinning up murder boards with string and the whole nine yards, all over their wall.
There’s even a whole Reddit community devoted to Cain’s Jawbone.
If you’re up for the challenge yourself, you can pick up a copy here.
- Joe
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