I had to take a break from reading to watch Gilmore Girls. (Lol) It was a much-needed diversion.

Now I'm back at it. I really liked this particular book, but I must admit, I hate it when I get completely fooled throughout an entire book! (And by hate, I really mean it in a not-actually-hate way. It's more of a frustration that keeps me on the edge of my seat.)

The anticipation and the unexpected twists and turns can be both thrilling and a bit maddening. But that's what makes reading so exciting.

I can't wait to see what else this book has in store for me as I continue on with my reading journey.

It was a truly good book, a fun read that was very Heather-like. It served as a fabulous capstone/bookend (ha ha) for my collection of "can't get enough gory, psychological, pretentious murder manifestos" (though manifesto is far too strong a word for this book, just in case you're taking it literally).

So, Daniel Handler. Yep, he's really rad. I like Lemmony Snickets and all that jazz. I think it's great that we have a new Edward Gory in the world to scare and tantalize little children, reminding them that bad little boys and girls will be drowned, starved, beheaded, etc. You can't really scare children enough, you know.

However, this book fell into a strange age grouping and messed with it a bit. Unlike Special Topics and Secret History (with Secret History being by far the best in this trio), this wasn't really a novel about kids written for "adults." Instead, I think it was almost a "teen" read, which, given Handler's Series of Unfortunate Events, isn't a bad idea. But, it was just a little... well, not quite cunning enough to be Heathers and not classy enough to be Secret History.

I got stuck on the San Francisco part. I don't really know much about Handler, but I think he's British, which is great. However, I was really distracted by the chosen setting of this book. It was set in SF, but the only real parts of SF mentioned were the Golden Gate Bridge and maybe Taylor or Turk Street randomly thrown out. Beyond that, all the coffee shops were made up, and the school was, I guess, where SF State is in reality, at Lake Merced. Hills were referenced, and I don't know: I don't know SF that well, but it was distracting to try to piece what I do know of it into this book. If I knew nothing about it at all, I would have wanted to know more because I just like setting.

In terms of character development, I'm a bit stuck here too. Without spoiling anything for you, the ending became sort of "easy," and looking back, I'm not sure it's consistent with the rest of the text. It's like he thought of an ending in the middle and doctored up the rest of the book accordingly.

Granted, Special Topics employs many of these same tactics, and I haven't looked back to see who wrote what when, but I think Basic Eight was first. Let's just say Special Topics, while not perfect either, did a better job with this format. But both didn't hold a candle to The Secret History. Still, I had a great time reading them, and fueled by a soy latte and the rainy weather here in SF (oh, but am I really even here? Perhaps I could do some non-committal reference to the bus lines and "hills" and say I live here...), this book was a real page-turner.

However, I'm not a fan of the name Flannery. It got on my nerves, as did the nickname "Flan." I found it basically repulsive. And the whole "unreliable narrator" thing... I'm pretty sure that only works when it's intentional. It seemed like Flannery was "unreliable" because she was inconsistent, probably the brainchild of old high school yearbook perusal and a deep-seated wish to have fucked shit up when you had the opportunity, with a complete lack of accountability. High school's really the last time to do this... so... in short, for a truly unreliable narrator, I would suggest the good-old classic The Yellow Wall Paper. And if you're over eighteen, probably save The Basic Eight for a pool-side read. But, it was fun, just what can only be called "the weak-link" to a murder mystery brew-haha.

I embarked on reading this book with great expectations, and surprisingly, they were not only met but exceeded.

Initially, I had my doubts. The characters seemed outrageously pretentious, to the point of being almost comical. In the first 50 pages alone, there was a dinner party where characters debated the proper way to prepare Brie, one toasted "to world peace," and another agonized over whether to serve red or white wine with the meal. It was hard to imagine these were 18-year-olds in a realistic context.

However, I soon realized that these characters were not meant to be realistic at all. They were exaggerated versions of the kids we might have wished we were in school. They behaved more like characters from a Jane Austen novel than typical high school students preparing for their SATs. The characters in "The Basic Eight" are a parody of those overly pretentious high school kids, and that's what makes them so delightfully ridiculous.

This book reminded me a great deal of the film "Heathers," which also has a similar satiric undertone. Once I understood that the pretentiousness was intentional, the book became nearly perfect for me. I adored the narrator's unashamed unreliability. Instead of hinting at future events, she often blatantly stated what would happen, adding to the book's non-linear feel.

It's also evident that this book served as a launching pad for Handler to explore many of the ideas that would later become part of his Lemony Snicket series. With characters forming a semi-secret society centered around values like good food, opera music, and high fashion.

Overall, this book has one of the best twists I've encountered in a long time. I don't want to give it away, but after finishing the book, I flipped back through earlier passages and was懊恼 with myself for not noticing the numerous hints scattered throughout. I'm curious to see how well it holds up on a reread, but on the surface, it's a brilliant twist that makes perfect sense.

I'm still not entirely sure what was real and what was fabricated, or which characters were telling the truth and which ones were more inclined to lie to make their point. Regardless, I absolutely loved this book. It's without a doubt the best book I've read so far this year. Read it, read it, read it!

- Edit -

Upon rereading this book, it only confirmed my initial love for it. The earlier sections take on a new significance after learning the plot twist at the end, and it's easy to spot the foreshadowing that leads up to it. This book is truly brilliant and, somehow, even better on a second read. I still maintain that it's the best book I've read this year!

What did I just read?

It was an interesting piece of writing that captured my attention from the very beginning.

The author presented a unique perspective on a particular topic, which made me think deeply about it.

The ideas were well-structured and the language used was clear and engaging.

However, there were a few areas where I felt the article could have been expanded further.

For example, some of the points could have been elaborated on with more examples or evidence to support them.

Additionally, the conclusion could have been more conclusive, leaving a stronger impression on the reader.

Overall, it was a good read and I look forward to seeing more from this author in the future.

I wonder if they will expand on the ideas presented in this article or explore new ones.

Only time will tell, but I'm excited to find out.