Customer Reviews

Suicide Shop

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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.

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.

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.

Is a really easy one-sitting read. It flies over at only 170 pages. Death and suicide in particular are part of the great taboos of Western society. But this book isn't really about the whys and wherefores of suicide, but about happiness, the stories we tell ourselves about who and what we are, and our refusal just to decide to be happy.
With this Adams family/ Tim Burton's atmosphere, we want to go inside Teule's Suicide shop...to die laughing !