The Pallbearer’s Club:
Now that sounds like a club I would have joined in high school! Quite a unique title for a very unusual book. This novel took me a little while to unpack after I finished reading it—like I said, it’s unusual (and not in a bad way)!
This novel has a little bit of everything: punk rock, dive bars, heartbreak, humor… oh, and (maybe) vampires!
The Pallbearer’s Club takes place in the 1980s and follows a teenager named Art Barbara. While in his final year of high school, Art starts the ‘Pallbearer’s Club’ to help with his college application process. He recruits members of the club to volunteer at funerals for the recently departed with few friends or family to attend. This is where he befriends Mercy, a mysterious young lady who introduces Art to punk rock and Hüsker Dü.
The book reads as a memoir from Art’s perspective. Art reflects on his life and his relationship with Mercy. Throughout the novel, there are excerpts where Mercy chimes in and comments on Art’s recollection of the events. This was a very interesting part of the novel because you get two separate points of view as you’re watching the story develop. Art and Mercy’s relationship makes for an intriguing read.
The book ultimately brings you to the present day, where we find an older Art. He reflects on his time playing in his many bands, even including a time when he met Bob Mould from Hüsker Dü and Sugar. These portions of the novel were some of my favorite parts. It takes you away from the horror/suspense aspect of the novel for a while and has you follow Art as a washed-up, drunken punk rocker. Tremblay’s use of imagery almost puts you there in the crowd at a punk show.
This book quickly became one of my favorite reads of the year. It will have you reflecting on it long after you put it down.
Grab your copy HERE.