Suicide Shop [Paperback]

Jean Teule (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 2008

With the twenty-first century just a distant memory and the world in environmental chaos, many people have lost the will to live. And business is brisk at The Suicide Shop. Run by the Tuvache family for generations, the shop offers an amazing variety of ways to end it all, with something to fit every budget. The Tuvaches go mournfully about their business, taking pride in the morbid service they provide. Until the youngest member of the family threatens to destroy their contented misery by confronting them with something they've never encountered before: a love of life.

Product Details

• Paperback: 169 pages
• Publisher: Gallic Books (July 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1906040095
• ISBN-13: 978-1906040093
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #837,794 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars For the quirky reader, December 27, 2008

By 

Danielle (Sydney, Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Suicide Shop (Paperback)

The concept of this book really appealed to me but I think a lot more could have been done with it. For me, the problem was that it lacked meatiness - there is no character development and the plot is slim (but im sure the author intended on keeping it light and fluffy). Despite that, I thought it was amusing and I didn't mind it. If you have a quirky sense of humour and don't mind a quick 'n easy read (170 pages), then it's worth a go.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Do you find suicide a laughing matter?, August 13, 2008

By 

Kaolin Fire "GUD Magazine" (Acton, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Suicide Shop (Paperback)

The Tuvaches, a sort of working class Addams Family, operate The Suicide Shop--a shop where anyone can purchase the equipment and/or training required to off themselves (though children can only purchase sweets that have a 50% chance of killing them).

The story is set some time after North America has been laid to waste by the Big One--but for the most part it could pass as contemporary, with the odd bit of future tech: holographic greeting cards; a solution that turn one's kiss poisonous to others; 3d semi-immersive full-sensory television.

Mishima and Lucrèce Tuvache have three children--two depressed and/or ailing, and the youngest, bright and cherubic. This latter child, Alan, is the force that changes everything.

The chapters are brief, often terse, and the story progresses swiftly--at times a little too swiftly, in that I felt the characters bounced a bit too much in mood and disposition. At the same time, the quick pace kept me turning pages.

I was somewhat disappointed by the direction of the narrative--it's described as a quirky black comedy, but I found it more comedy, verging on slapstick, and less black (until, perhaps, the end). Alan's cheer and undauntable optimism quickly infects the rest of the family (except for Mishima, the father); even suicide commandos are shown to not be able to withstand his barrage of cheerfulness (a favorite quote: "I'll only be demonstrating this to you once!").

Still, it has a definite charm, and if you are perhaps less jaded you might get a real kick out of it throughout. I could easily see it being a cult favorite in the right circles.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Uplifiting read, January 16, 2009

By 

SINGularsensation (San Diego, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Suicide Shop (Paperback)

I picked this book up on a whim at a bookstore in London. The author is actually a French screenplay writer, so the book reads much like a script (set in the present tense, etc).
It's really a light and uplifting read about how a positive attitude can affect all aspects of your life, without being "preachy" in any aspect. It just makes you think. It's a quick book and I recommend it to anyone who needs a little pick-me-up.