5/10: An interesting concept for a book, but poorly executed. ( )

Si te gusta el humor negro, es la novela perfecta, con un toque de diversión macabro y otro de tristeza. ( )

En esta novela enormemente divertida, no exenta de humor negro, el lector penetra en la tienda y en la vida de una familia, los Tuvache, dedicada desde hace generaciones a la venta de productos (sogas para ahorcarse, toda clase de venenos, armas, etc.) que cualquier suicida debe tener a mano para el momento en que decida abandonar este mundo. Los Tuvache se sienten orgullosos de su trabajo y de su reconocida eficacia profesional, hasta que el menor de sus vastagos empieza a dar muestras inquietantes: es un niño alegre, al que le entusiasma la risa.

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.

*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. ( )

If, like mine, your definition of “science fiction” is so loose it’s practically falling apart, you might class this novel as SF—it is at least set in the future. There’s nothing futuristic about it though, more sort of sideways-istic, just odd.
   The Tuvache family run the shop of the book’s title, which sells lengths of rope (noose ready-tied), razor blades, ceremonial swords, ammunition, breeze-blocks (rope ready attached) and a wide range of poisons. From the few glimpses we get of it, this future is a thoroughly unpleasant one and the shop has a steady stream of customers—particularly from the appalling modern housing-complex opposite—who are ready to end it all; and the Tuvaches provide, not only the means, but also advice. The motto of the Suicide Shop is, “Has your life been a failure? Let’s make your death a success!” and Monsieur Tuvache explains its philosophy: “Too many people do an amateurish job…find themselves disabled in wheelchairs, disfigured for life… Our suicides are guaranteed. Death or your money back!”
   To the proprietors themselves, though, this is more than just a business; suicide is in their blood and, like the Addams Family, they see the world in reverse, preferring ugliness, pessimism and self-destruction. All, that is, except the youngest Tuvache: he’s irrepressibly happy, sees good in everything and spends his days singing, blowing soap-bubbles and doing something none of the others would dream of doing: laughing. You could say he’s the white sheep of the family.
   Penned by film-maker Jean Teulé, the writing style here is comic, light, and I think I see what he’s trying to do: he’s talking life up, saying, “Don’t throw your life away, live your life to the full,” using an inside-out way of saying it. And halfway through I was thinking, “This isn’t making fun of suicide or despair…” but now I’m not so sure; depression is by a distance the worst thing in the world and can there ever be a good enough excuse for making light of it?
   A strange novel this: quirky (which I like), funny, entertaining, but which at the same time left me feeling uneasy and undecided. ( )