Pre-publication copy:

Booker Prize winning author DBC Pierre recently penned Lights out in Wonderland, a philosophical exploration of an anti-capitalistic mind in its last throes of life.

Pierre’s satire chronicles Gabriel Brockwell, a drug addict who has given up on his opposition to capitalism and committed himself to suicide. But only after enjoying his final days in a drug and alcohol-induced state of limbo, being on the threshold of death and feeling consequence-free, will he carry out this plan.

In his attempts to “go out with a bang,” Gabriel lands his friend Smuts in prison. To ensure his release, Gabriel appeases high-rolling culinary criminals dealing in the preparation of illegal delicacies (i.e. poisonous fugu fish) for high profile guests.

Eventually, Gabriel’s limbo becomes too long, resulting in his experience of a “Master Limbo” in Wonderland where his mindset alters.

Pierre’s Gabriel seems to be somewhat autobiographical. Pierre’s use of writing during his rehabilitation seems to be an outlet in this instance. While Gabriel escapes rehabilitation in the opening pages by burning the centre down with a lemon in an outlet, his addiction to cocaine perhaps echoes Pierre’s own experiences suggesting that his ramblings may also reflect Pierre’s thoughts.

However, Lights out in Wonderland is not a tale of addiction and recovery. Narrated in first-person, the novel becomes a loose stream-of-consciousness through never-sober Gabriel.

The majority of the novel, then, is composed of the barely linear philosophical ramblings of an intoxicated mind, with footnotes adding tangents, and a slow plot.

The alternative approach to life and death in this novel, though, is its main strength. While Gabriel is forever snorting or gulping substances, his thought-process seems lucid in that he understandably wishes to enjoy his last days. In this instance, however, Gabriel controls when his last breath will be—Gabriel’s suicidal plans fuel his greater enjoyment of life.

The question then becomes whether or not his unreserved pre-suicide actions are inspirational and enlightening to the reader if Gabriel spends his last days immersed in drugs, alcohol and crime.

Pierre’s lucid yet intoxicated Gabriel blurs the line between Western society’s perceptions of “good” and “bad,” subconsciously challenging the reader to either condemn or applaud Gabriel for his fulfillment of life. The reader can love it or hate it—Pierre leaves no fence to sit on.

DBC Pierre. Lights Out in Wonderland. London: Faber & Faber, 2010. $26.00 (CAD). 317 pages.

Published copy:

On the Shelf

Erin Torrance: Contributor

4/5 stars

Lights Out in Wonderland

By DBC Pierre

Late last year, Man Booker Prize winning author DBC Pierre penned Lights out in Wonderland–a philosophical exploration of an anti-capitalistic mind in its last throes of life.

Pierre’s satire chronicles Gabriel Brockwell, a drug addict who has given up on his opposition to capitalism and has set himself on committing suicide. But he will only carry out his plan after enjoying his final days in a drug and alcohol-induced state of limbo, being on the threshold of death and feeling consequence-free.

In his attempts to “go out with a bang,” Gabriel lands his friend Smuts in prison. To ensure his release, Gabriel appeases high-rolling culinary criminals dealing in the preparation of illegal delicacies–poisonous fugu fish, for example–for high-profile guests.

Pierre’s character Gabriel seems to be somewhat autobiographical. While Gabriel escapes rehabilitation in the opening pages by burning the centre down, his addiction to cocaine perhaps echoes Pierre’s own experiences suggesting his ramblings may also reflect Pierre’s thoughts.

But Lights out in Wonderland is not a tale of addiction and recovery. Told in first-person, the novel becomes a loose stream-of-conscious narrative from the viewpoint of never-sober Gabriel. The majority of the novel is composed of the barely-linear philosophical rants of an intoxicated mind, with footnotes adding tangents, and a slow plot.

The alternative approach to life and death in this novel is its main strength. While Gabriel is forever snorting or gulping substances, his thought process seems lucid in that he understandably wishes to enjoy his last days. In this instance, however, Gabriel controls when his last breath will be. Gabriel’s suicidal plans fuel his greater enjoyment of life.

The question then becomes whether or not his actions pre-suicide are inspirational and enlightening to the audience if he spends his last days immersed in drugs, alcohol and crime.

Gabriel blurs the line between Western society’s perceptions of “good” and “bad,” subconsciously challenging the reader to either condemn or applaud Gabriel for his fulfillment of life. The reader can love it or hate it—Pierre leaves no fence to sit on.

*Published in The Gazette 104.79, University of Western Ontario (London, ON), March 4, 2011

Please see also my redesigned cover for this novel, completed as part of the Book and Magazine Publishing curriculum at Centennial College.