Wednesday, August 31, 2016

The Suicide Shop by Jean Teule- Book Review

There are some great books with absolutely terrible covers. I am going to put The Suicide Shop by Jean Teule into this category*. This book is a translation of a 2012 French book of the same name, but in French obviously. It was also made into an animated motion picture in 2012. The book is also wickedly funny and I am glad we are getting this one in English.

The world has gone dark and people are looking to end their lives by the hundreds. The Tuvache family has exactly what people are looking for and are specialists when it comes to suicide. Want to die like Cleopatra, they have poisonous asps delivered in fig baskets for you. Want to die after eating exquisite chocolate, they have just the thing 1 out of 2 of their chocolates are quite deadly.

They are also a family who gets along, mostly. Sadly, their son Alan, named for Alan Turing who ate a poisoned apple that supposedly inspired the Apple logo, is quite happy. He sings songs, wishes people well, and has a smile on his face. Wherever did Mishima (his father) and Lucrece go wrong? What happens when Alan's happiness starts spreading?

I will begin by saying this book is very French. I love French film and some French books and there is a style that goes along with these genres. I will warn that if you read this, it has a very French ending, which is not a bad thing, but sometimes American readers don't understand the French mindset.

I will also say that I found this quite funny. I am a big fan of the Addams family, both the New Yorker cartoon and the 60s TV show. This book has that type of humor. The Tuvache family takes pride in what they do and speak about death quite casually, which may make some uncomfortable, but it is done with a wink and a nod, like the Addams family. If one lets go, it becomes really funny.

As stated, I wish the cover were better. It doesn't accurately portray the book and I think people will pass by this wickedly funny book. If you have a dark comedy sense of humor, do yourself a favor and read this one, but recognize it is French.

I gave this one 3.5 stars.

Here is your Amazon link- The Suicide Shop by Jean Teule

*I want to thank NetGalley and Gallic Books for allowing me to read an advanced copy of the book. I received it for free in exchange for an honest review. 

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