Pop Culture Curmudgeon

Book Review: One Bloody Thing After Another by Joey Comeau

Edited to add: Want to win a copy of this book? I’m giving away my review copy. Enter to win by 11:50 p.m. on June 7, 2010.

I’m not sure exactly what I was expecting when I began reading this book, but it didn’t live up to them.

Billed as a humorous horror novel, One Bloody Thing After Another should have brought me laughter. But the humor is subtle, funny as an intellectual exercise rather than laugh out loud funny.

The horror aspect is definitely present, as the book opens with a character who coughs bloody chunks up on the table at a job interview. (Yes, all involved in the interview agree that it “did not go well.”) After that opening salvo, the gross factor is dialed back quite a bit and much more is left to the imagination. Comeau throws in disturbing scenes and elements, but they are on a psychological level rather than a visceral one.

Comeau uses a spare approach to writing that provides barely enough details to visualize the characters and the story. In fact, while I was reading, I felt as if I were watching a movie on an old TV set with bad over-the-air reception—full of ghosts and snow. Despite the lack of detail, the characters were well developed and interesting. I was surprised when I realized I cared about anyone other that the dog. (I am innately predisposed to love the dog in any book I read or video I watch. The author doesn’t have to do anything to make me emotional about the dog. This is why Marley & Me is now banned from our home.)

I don’t think I would read this book again, and I am not sure I would seek out future works by Comeau. But, if you are looking for a quick, macabre read, this might be the book for you. Fans of Comeau’s web comic, A Softer World, would also be a good fit.

Buy One Bloody Thing After Another at Amazon or Powell’s.

Disclaimer: I was sent a review copy of this book through the Shelf Monkey program. I received no compensation to read or review it. The purchase links are affiliate links.