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A review by queergoth_reads
The Pallbearers Club by Paul Tremblay
dark
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I got this eARC from NetGalley but all thoughts are my own.
I was super excited when I got this request approved. I was a huge horror fan as a teen and I'm slowly getting back into it. Earlier this year I started reading books by Paul Tremblay and honestly they were right up my street to I jumped at the chance to read this. Unfortunately this one didn't do it for me in the same way as some of his other works. This book is framed as a memoir with editing notes from his friend. I really like this concept. It allowed for so much more nuance in the story. The author really captured Art's voice so well. It really came across like the memoir it's supposed to be. However, I felt like that was a double edged sword. It was very much written in Art's voice but honestly I didn't like Art or his writing. It grated on me a lot and I really only pushed through because I wanted to see where it was going. The notes were a nice break. It was nice to have this dual POV almost. I don't know if it was because it was an ebook but I'd have loved to have seen these note set up more like someone was writing in the margins but that might have broken the flow a bit. Overall I was a bit underwhelmed. The ending was really perfect and I think it made up for the effort it took me to get through to the end.
I was super excited when I got this request approved. I was a huge horror fan as a teen and I'm slowly getting back into it. Earlier this year I started reading books by Paul Tremblay and honestly they were right up my street to I jumped at the chance to read this. Unfortunately this one didn't do it for me in the same way as some of his other works. This book is framed as a memoir with editing notes from his friend. I really like this concept. It allowed for so much more nuance in the story. The author really captured Art's voice so well. It really came across like the memoir it's supposed to be. However, I felt like that was a double edged sword. It was very much written in Art's voice but honestly I didn't like Art or his writing. It grated on me a lot and I really only pushed through because I wanted to see where it was going. The notes were a nice break. It was nice to have this dual POV almost. I don't know if it was because it was an ebook but I'd have loved to have seen these note set up more like someone was writing in the margins but that might have broken the flow a bit. Overall I was a bit underwhelmed. The ending was really perfect and I think it made up for the effort it took me to get through to the end.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Drug use, Medical content, and Alcohol
Moderate: Terminal illness and Death of parent
Minor: Drug abuse