VINCENT
VIÑAS
'The
Funeral Portrait'
Despite humanity's collective unconsciousness being hard-wired around sex and death, suicide is not easy topic for a lot of people to deal with,
especially when it's a subject a little too close to home for
comfort. Which is why Vincent Viñas'
novel 'The Funeral Portrait' is so unexpectedly pleasurable to read.
The
book focuses on Guy – a world weary and somewhat pathetic character
intent on ending his life, but lacking the motivation to do it. He
frequents the top of an old nearby factory with all the drive to
throw himself off the top, but never manages to go through with it.
His girlfriend left him, his psychiatrist is more interested in
getting paid than curing him, and his roommate brother who literally
leaves him with pie on his face. Then one day he meets Tallulah, a
quirky, perky goth girl who is just as intent on killing herself as
guy, but is unfortunately immortal. Everything she tries, no matter
how violent or destructive it is on herself, she always gets up
again. The two are drawn together and quickly fall into a
relationship of sorts, but then have to make a decision between death
and one last roll of the dice on happiness.
The
book is told in the first person through a series of suicide notes
left by Guy which act as a diary chronicling the strange goings on
with his own struggles with day-to-day life as well as the added
weirdness of his relationship with Tallulah, and her immortal
friends. It's a nice method that allows the reader to really get into
the plot through the eyes of the main protagonist as he tries to deal
with it. It's not an uncommon tool, with 'Dracula' by Bram Stoker
being one example that instantly springs to mind. However the writing
style of Viñas
is a lot less heavy than stoker and as a result Guy is much more
identifiable than Stoker's Jonathan Harker. The first person
narrative is descriptive where it needs to be and the use of dialogue
is natural and snappy.
What
really drives the book and keeps the page turning is the dark and
cynical humour which is liberally sprinkled throughout. The first few
pages over flow with the kind of angst benefiting a suicidal Holden
Caulfield, but it disperses into an awkward if morbid humour as the
suicide notes become a diary rather than a final goodbye.
'The
Funeral Portrait' also has that “matter of fact” approach to the
uncanny that Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett do so well in books like
'Neverwhere' and 'Good Omens'. The fact that there is a group of
suicidal friends who are immortal is never explained and it doesn't
need to be. The situation is the main focus and the reader quickly
accepts this rather than continually questioning their origins.
The
balance of dark, sarcastic humour with a genuinely interesting
romantic plot makes 'The Funeral Portrait' a very a funny, tender and
overall enjoyable read. It's subject on the surface may be too
morbid for some, but after 30 pages it begins to go down new and
strange paths that compels you to keep reading.