The Pallbearers’ Club by Paul Tremblay

I would like to thank Titan for an advance copy of this novel in exchange for a fair and honest review

Publisher – Titan

Published – Out Now

Price – £8.99 paperback £4.68 Kindle eBook

1988, and puberty has hit Art Barbara hard - he's a painfully socially awkward teenager, underweight, acne-ridden, and bent crooked by scoliosis. Worse, he has no extra credits to get him into college. So Art starts the Pallbearers’ Club, dedicated to mourning the homeless and lonely – the people with no one else to bury them. It might be a small club, unpopular and morbid, but it introduces Art to Mercy Brown, who is into bands, local history, folklore and digging up the dead.

Decades later, Art is writing his memoir to try and make sense of it all, because nothing about Mercy is simple. It’s all a matter of trust, right? Their friendship twists and coils around the pair of them, captured in Polaroid snapshots and sweaty gigs and the freaky, inexplicable flashes of nightmare that lurk in a folded jacket at night.

Because Art is writing his memoir to make sense of it all, but Mercy is reading it too. Mercy thinks Art’s novel – because this isn’t a memoir – needs some work, and she’s more than happy to set the record straight. What if Art didn’t get everything right? Come on, Art, you can’t tell just one side of the story…

Friendships are key to life. The people who accept us a lot more for who we are and as there is no familial loyalty here we know in most cases they do actually want to spend time with you. They will know you at your best and also sometimes at your worst. Friendships ebb and wane but some are lifelong. They always impact how our lives develop. In Paul Tremblay’s unusual The Pallbearers’ Club an awkward teenager who decides to offer a pallbearing service to those who have no one at their funerals will start a friendship with a stranger, louder and more sarcastic young woman who may possibly be a vampire. It doesn’t quite hit the landing though despite the unusual ride through growing old it takes us on.

Art Barbara (not his real name) has written a memoir of his life and in particular his developing friendship with a young woman named Mary. Helpfully Mary is also reading this draft and regularly offers her impressions and, in some cases, her own point of view on events. Art desperate to get out to college; escape his nightmare school and also a town that often bullies him; needs some unique extracurricular activities decides forming a pallbearer’s club at high school where people can offer their attendance at funerals for those without anyone would be perfect. Initially three then down to two members Art is then introduced to the grungy punk Mary who also decides to join the club. Polar opposites the uptight Art and Mary start to enjoy being around each other – sharing a love of punk music and also actually being able to laugh at life and often Art’s awkward behaviour but Art starts to suspect that Mary is actually a member of the undead and going to kill him. A few decades later Art is now a regular guitar player for countless new and often ended bands and then meets Mary once again. Is this time Art going to reveal the truth?

I think upfront I need to say I don’t consider this a horror story. There are dark moments and scenes were horror is created but overall this feels more a comedy fantasy tale focused on friendship and growing old. The early section focused on Art’s teenage years are written by a young awkward and often precocious young man who clearly loves the sound of his voice. He is oblivious how strange his idea for the club is and is terrible at reading people. The voice Tremblay creates is someone who doesn’t yet know who they are. As such Mary’s written asides, insults and observations are a welcome distraction and make you suspect Art’s worldview may not always be accurate. Tremblay pulls together life in a small 1980s town; the horror of high school and being painfully oblivious how strange some things you decide to do as a teenager are that great an idea. The funerals attended are strange yet funny and when Mary enters the scene its well needed warmth to loosen this young man up and bring them out of their shell. But on top of that we get New England vampire legends and scenes were Mary appears a little less than human to entice us in deciding is Art is facing supernatural battles to come.

The Art we meet circa 40 years old in the latter half of the novel is both the same person and different. They’ve relaxed into leaving college, falling in and out of love and discovering they love music enough to make it their lifetime career. But also, they’re not ever going to hit the big time themselves and just possibly not yet able to admit that. When Mary apparently unaged re-appears, there are moments of strangeness, warmth and horror again as Art wonders can he find the truth and Mary wonders if their friend will ever trust them again. The unromantic bond between them is indeed shown with a touch of tenderness and a reminder that friends are often always going to be friends even if you don’t see them in years.

All of which worked well but the novel for me does feel a little unwieldy and its two halves don’t quite gel as much as I’d have liked. We do spend a lot of time in the teenage years and when Mary isn’t commenting the story falls a little flat. Its not helped by the tone Art uses in these sections which is a little opaque and verbose which stays true to the character but like the people Art meets can put you off him.  I found the older Art section to be the most interesting as it explores middle age life (this may be because I am now middle aged though) and I’d had liked a bit more of understanding Art’s journey to the person we meet.

My overall impression was this could really have worked better as a novella focused on one period with a brief glimpse of the other or a longer novel where Mary’s viewpoint got more space. The confirmation of Mary’s possibly inhuman nature is ultimately not the key to the book and doesn; need to be held off for so long. The Pallbearers’ Club is an interesting fantasy experiment and captures friendship, growing up and growing old well but doesn’t quite hang together to make it a memorable tale that will stick around me for a long time to come. A curio but still fun read