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Lights Out in Wonderland
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Review
'If any novelist can collate the killing irony of what is happening around us it is DBC Pierre ... Pierre shreds the pretentious sophistication and fake joyousness of our Michelin-starred palaces, driving them to the ultimate conclusions of hedonism with a ferocity worthy of de Sade ... As with the dextrous ventriloquism in Vernon God Little, Gabriel's living and very beautiful voice carries this convulsive novel ... This swollen, bruising novel needs to be defended as an artful shout of protest from a soul on fire, an ultimate call to sanity and to learn what has happened in our world, where "Profit won the game, but like an infection killed the host".' -- Alan Warner, Guardian >> 'He inspires delight and disgust, causing chaos to others while blithely partying. So begins an odyssey, as Gabriel himself terms it. The plot rests on getting Smuts out of a Japanese jail. There are, along the way, some set pieces of lunatic brilliance ... The exuberance coating the nihilistic blackness, the brilliantine shine of his classically pure prose bouncing against an adolescent two-fingers to society, all point to a novel of excellence and importance ... Its impact is undeniable. The whole tottering edifice of Wonderland has many doors. They may open onto wonders or terrors; either way, it s worth taking a look.' -- Daily Telegraph >> 'Precipitously drunken, pleasure-seeking narrative ... Pierre's writing is heady, reaching glorious heights of linguistic invention. He shows that he is just as adept at conjuring a sense of place - this time in Japan and Germany - as he was in his pitch perfect presentation of the Texan vernacular in his Booker-prize winning debut, Vernon God Little.' -- Independent >> 'Pierre's writing is extravagantly energetic.' -- Spectator >> 'Pierre lets rip with some truly lipsmacking prose.' -- Daily Mail >> ''If anyone was going to attempt a properly unhinged allegory of the excesses of modern capitalism and the financial crash, DBC Pierre was always the man most likely ... his sentences are toxic assets, often built on wild speculation; his metaphors complex derivatives that you love or hate for their indulgent bravado ... His writing falls somewhere in a spectrum between William Burroughs and JP Donleavy, a sort of narco-blarney. At its best it captures some of the rigorous circumlocution and comedy of Iain Sinclair in full rant mode. --Scotsman
>> 'It's great to see Pierre back on form with another hefty slab of outrageous black comedy: a stupendously over-the-top romp based on the excesses of 21st-century capitalism and all its orgiastic horror ... delivered in a narrative voice that is utterly compelling and always funny. Pierre repeatedly exposes the pretentiousness and self-importance of his targets, and he again proves himself adept at conjuring up place perfectly ... both Berlin and Tokyo emerge fully formed in the reader's mind ... Ultimately, it is Pierre's debunking of the capitalist dream, as well as celebrity culture and the empty posturing of fine dining, drinking and partying, that make this more than just a wild-eyed rumpus of a book ... [Lights Out in Wonderland is] a remarkably sharp and amusing tirade on the politics of excess, and an important book in these chastened times.' -- --Independent on Sunday
'DBC Pierre's first book, Vernon God Little, was brilliant. Lights Out is even better. It's a satirical middle finger up at the banal purgatory of modern life and a reckless manifesto for life ... At times he novel is more ridiculous than rapturous and more debauched than divine, but it is always beguiling ... Pierre proves that a book can be insightful and shocking as well as melancholic and wickedly funny. Only someone able to take the p*ss out of themselves and the world they live in so astutely could pull this off: irresistible.' -- Time Out >> 'Fans of DBC Pierre will hardly be disappointed ... Pierre is an eye-catching prose stylist.' -- Herald >>
'A rambunctious satire on capitalist excess ... it's great fun.' --Independent on Sunday
>> 'It's great to see Pierre back on form with another hefty slab of outrageous black comedy: a stupendously over-the-top romp based on the excesses of 21st-century capitalism and all its orgiastic horror ... delivered in a narrative voice that is utterly compelling and always funny. Pierre repeatedly exposes the pretentiousness and self-importance of his targets, and he again proves himself adept at conjuring up place perfectly ... both Berlin and Tokyo emerge fully formed in the reader's mind ... Ultimately, it is Pierre's debunking of the capitalist dream, as well as celebrity culture and the empty posturing of fine dining, drinking and partying, that make this more than just a wild-eyed rumpus of a book ... [Lights Out in Wonderland is] a remarkably sharp and amusing tirade on the politics of excess, and an important book in these chastened times.' -- --Independent on Sunday
'DBC Pierre's first book, Vernon God Little, was brilliant. Lights Out is even better. It's a satirical middle finger up at the banal purgatory of modern life and a reckless manifesto for life ... At times he novel is more ridiculous than rapturous and more debauched than divine, but it is always beguiling ... Pierre proves that a book can be insightful and shocking as well as melancholic and wickedly funny. Only someone able to take the p*ss out of themselves and the world they live in so astutely could pull this off: irresistible.' -- Time Out >> 'Fans of DBC Pierre will hardly be disappointed ... Pierre is an eye-catching prose stylist.' -- Herald >>
'A rambunctious satire on capitalist excess ... it's great fun.' --Independent on Sunday
Book Description
The life-changing, hilarious and outrageous tale of one man's journey to fight the decadent excess of the modern world.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
20 of 23 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This was BRILLIANT. I'd be happy to be proved wrong, but I am prepared to say now that it's my book of 2010 - I can't imagine that I'm going to come across anything as unique, inspiring and downright excellent in the next few months.
The story begins with Gabriel Brockwell - dreamer, quasi-misanthrope, unfulfilled artist, paradoxically both a pursuer of ultimate decadence and an anti-capitalist - deciding to kill himself... but not quite immediately. The next 300 pages tell the fantastical tale of Gabriel's self-imposed final days, taking in three capital cities, an incerdible cast of oddball characters, an excessive, orgiastic banquet beneath an abandoned airport, and the most bizarre and grotesque menu you've ever seen.
The narrative is wonderful, constantly experimenting with language and packed with unexpected words, succinct yet vivid descriptions, and too many remarkable truisms about human relationships, behaviour/hopes/fears/dreams, and the power of market forces than I could possibly list. The prose is experimental and colourful, yet there are perfectly formed quotes and soundbites on every page. Gabriel's voice is sublime - self-obsessed, negative and hypocritical, but funny, cynical, intelligent and brilliantly debauched as well as sweetly naive and naively charming. He's a literary Withnail, an elegantly wasted raconteur - I fell in love with the character and his flights of fancy, philosophical musings and never-ending brushes with good and bad luck.
DBC Pierre won the Booker Prize in 2003 with Vernon God Little, which is certainly very good, and shares in common with this book a strong first-person narrative voice and playful, intricate, inventive prose; but in my opinion, Lights Out in Wonderland is better. I loved the characters, loved the narrative, loved the story. This is an extraordinary novel. READ IT.
The story begins with Gabriel Brockwell - dreamer, quasi-misanthrope, unfulfilled artist, paradoxically both a pursuer of ultimate decadence and an anti-capitalist - deciding to kill himself... but not quite immediately. The next 300 pages tell the fantastical tale of Gabriel's self-imposed final days, taking in three capital cities, an incerdible cast of oddball characters, an excessive, orgiastic banquet beneath an abandoned airport, and the most bizarre and grotesque menu you've ever seen.
The narrative is wonderful, constantly experimenting with language and packed with unexpected words, succinct yet vivid descriptions, and too many remarkable truisms about human relationships, behaviour/hopes/fears/dreams, and the power of market forces than I could possibly list. The prose is experimental and colourful, yet there are perfectly formed quotes and soundbites on every page. Gabriel's voice is sublime - self-obsessed, negative and hypocritical, but funny, cynical, intelligent and brilliantly debauched as well as sweetly naive and naively charming. He's a literary Withnail, an elegantly wasted raconteur - I fell in love with the character and his flights of fancy, philosophical musings and never-ending brushes with good and bad luck.
DBC Pierre won the Booker Prize in 2003 with Vernon God Little, which is certainly very good, and shares in common with this book a strong first-person narrative voice and playful, intricate, inventive prose; but in my opinion, Lights Out in Wonderland is better. I loved the characters, loved the narrative, loved the story. This is an extraordinary novel. READ IT.
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Like thousands of other readers, I thought Vernon God Little was a fantastic book. I never bothered with his second as it sounded like the archetypal "difficult second novel", but was excited to hear about Lights Out and full of anticipation. I didn't take to the opening, which put me in mind of David Mitchell's Cloud Atlas (a much better book overall), but once our narrator left these shores for Tokyo I was taken in and for the most part I enjoyed the ride.
Some of DBC Pierre's insights are brilliant, if sometimes a little out of place. The trip round Ikea should ring a bell with anoyone who has had to endure that particular shopping experience, but receieved a peculiarly large amount of coverage. However, one of my favourite passages, where the world economy is likened to a space rocket where a fortunate few are in the tiny cockpit being propelled to Stratospehric heights while the rest of us merely make up the huge fuel pods and are jettisoned along the way, is such a brilliant analogy to my mind that I have quoted it several times to friends since.
I also thought the choice of the Templehof airport as the location for much of the book was inspired, but sadly the climatic orgiastic banquet stretched my imagination just too far and I couldn't be bothered to read the recipes beyond reading what the bizarre key ingredients were.
In summary, for me the middle two thirds of this book are very good, but the beginning and end, so important for those key impressions, let it down.
Some of DBC Pierre's insights are brilliant, if sometimes a little out of place. The trip round Ikea should ring a bell with anoyone who has had to endure that particular shopping experience, but receieved a peculiarly large amount of coverage. However, one of my favourite passages, where the world economy is likened to a space rocket where a fortunate few are in the tiny cockpit being propelled to Stratospehric heights while the rest of us merely make up the huge fuel pods and are jettisoned along the way, is such a brilliant analogy to my mind that I have quoted it several times to friends since.
I also thought the choice of the Templehof airport as the location for much of the book was inspired, but sadly the climatic orgiastic banquet stretched my imagination just too far and I couldn't be bothered to read the recipes beyond reading what the bizarre key ingredients were.
In summary, for me the middle two thirds of this book are very good, but the beginning and end, so important for those key impressions, let it down.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Like many others I found this book really heavy going to begin with. I started by dropping the footnotes and then skipped over some rambling paragraphs and then read a review here saying it got better from Tokyo, so I made it out of the UK. Actually by the time he gets back to his flat in London I was gripped. The style isn't easy, but the story is a good romp and introduces some wonderful characters.
I loved Tokyo, it reminded me of one of life's more colourful characters who I first met fresh back from there, who I could imagine partaking in such a night. Then we move to Berlin and meet a great crowd that sits neatly on either side of the capitalist line with a story that the main protagonist smoothly weaves between them. There is no question that his style is different and I had to adapt my reading style to enjoy it, but I feel rewarded for my efforts.
Just before starting this book a colleague was talking about the great writers of the 30's who described life and the social condition of that era so well and who concluded by saying that no such author exists now. With this and Vernon under my belt I feel that DB is having a pretty good stab at describing the current times and some of the singular issues affecting us in the globalised world.
I loved Tokyo, it reminded me of one of life's more colourful characters who I first met fresh back from there, who I could imagine partaking in such a night. Then we move to Berlin and meet a great crowd that sits neatly on either side of the capitalist line with a story that the main protagonist smoothly weaves between them. There is no question that his style is different and I had to adapt my reading style to enjoy it, but I feel rewarded for my efforts.
Just before starting this book a colleague was talking about the great writers of the 30's who described life and the social condition of that era so well and who concluded by saying that no such author exists now. With this and Vernon under my belt I feel that DB is having a pretty good stab at describing the current times and some of the singular issues affecting us in the globalised world.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Wonderful novel full of bits you want to interrupt your wife for and...
If you want my opinion on this novel, read Veronica Marwood's excellent review here on Amazon, for it delineates my feelings better than I could ever express. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Mr. Trench
Real & Unreal
Reviews must be twenty words long, why? I am happy to leave the words to DBC, for his style's wonderland!
Published 7 months ago by IPL
TOILET PAPER
DBC Pierre is a wonderfully interesting person,a very shady past indeed drugs,alcoholism and fraud to name but a few facets of his story. Read more
Published 13 months ago by mister joe
Never gets going
The plot's very thin and the book never really gets going. I spent most of the time thinking the action was about to kick in but, unfortunately, it never does. Read more
Published 17 months ago by P. Haynes
Light's out in wonderland
Light's out in Wonderland is the 3rd installment of DBC Pierre's insatiable allegory of the modern world. Read more
Published 17 months ago by Ryan
Last night of the satyricons
Wow. What a blitzkrieg.
As the last ripples fan to the edge of the pool, and DBC Pierre's "loose trilogy" bids the world adieu, you wonder whether he's not having... Read more
As the last ripples fan to the edge of the pool, and DBC Pierre's "loose trilogy" bids the world adieu, you wonder whether he's not having... Read more
Published 19 months ago by O. Buxton
Amazing
I had initially hoped that DBC Pierre's third offering would be an adequate tide me over until something worth getting excited came along considering Ludmilla's Broken English was... Read more
Published 20 months ago by Ferg
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