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The Pallbearers Club
The Pallbearers Club: A Novel | Paul Tremblay
31 posts | 32 read | 23 to read
A cleverly voiced psychological thriller about an unforgettableand unsettlingfriendship, with blood-chilling twists, crackling wit, and a thrumming pulse in its veinsfrom the nationally bestselling author of The Cabin at the End of the World and Survivor Song. What if the coolest girl youve ever met decided to be your friend? Art Barbara was so not cool. He was a seventeen-year-old high school loner in the late 1980s who listened to hair metal, had to wear a monstrous back-brace at night for his scoliosis, and started an extracurricular club for volunteer pallbearers at poorly attended funerals. But his new friend thought the Pallbearers Club was cool. And she brought along her Polaroid camera to take pictures of the corpses. Okay, that part was a little weird. So was her obsessive knowledge of a notorious bit of New England folklore that involved digging up the dead. And there were other strange things terrifying things that happened when she was around, usually at night. But she was his friend, so it was okay, right? Decades later, Art tries to make sense of it all by writing The Pallbearers Club: A Memoir. But somehow this friend got her hands on the manuscript and, well, she has some issues with it. And now shes making cuts. Seamlessly blurring the lines between fiction and memory, the supernatural and the mundane, The Pallbearers Club is an immersive, suspenseful portrait of an unforgettable and unsettling friendship.
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PirateJenny
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Pickpick

I'm a sucker for vampire lit. Always have been. Was completely tickled by the whole Mercy bit (I've known about Mercy for ages---Food for the Dead is a great book). I saw someone say somewhere that this is not a vampire novel. Hard disagree. There are different types of vampires in the lore. I loved this book
On a more personal note, the description of scoliosis surgery is spot-on. I had it done when I was 16. Oh, the memories.

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Nessavamusic
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dabbe 🧡🎃🧡 6mo
31 likes1 comment
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TamTracy
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Panpan

I‘m not sure how this was classified as horror or thriller. It was one of the most boring book I‘ve ever read. ⭐️

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Nessavamusic
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Pickpick

This is a very strange book. It is a book within a book with two voices, the author and his friend who is writing notes about the book. Knowing less about this is better, but know like many of this author‘s work, you may not get the answers you are looking for, but the journey is fascinating. Definitely not a book for everyone, but I think I enjoyed it? 4⭐️
My first #bookspinbingo

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 11mo
34 likes1 comment
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Twainy
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Pickpick

🎧 I‘d like a hardcover edition annotated by the author for my 2nd read. I see that the book has 2 font colors.

I enjoyed the memoir VS novel narrator interruptions.

The first 1/3 of the book made my head spin. When it clicked it was a V8 moment. I loved the pop culture.

Fun fresh creepy book. I liked the idea of the Pallbearers club. Definitely not for everyone. Art & Mercy are an interesting pair. I was conflicted for awhile.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Reggie I‘m glad you liked this! 13mo
25 likes1 comment
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keithlafo
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Mehso-so

I love the concept and the style (the red-pen margin notes was a particularly nice touch) but this story just didn‘t work for me. Especially the ending, which was incredibly underwhelming.

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ReadingOver50
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Panpan

This story is told in alternating view points, between Art and Mercy. I did like that the two people's thought were printed in a different color. Red for Mercy and black for Art. It made it easy to tell who was speaking. On the negative, I hated that there were two view points for the story. It made me feel disconnected from the story. Just when I would start to enjoy the narrative, we would switch views and it really took me out of the story.

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bthegood
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Bailedbailed

I started reading, then switched to audio thinking it might be better - 30% in and I'm bored - just not invested in the MC or his sidekick -
Overall for #WinterReadathon 3 books read, one DNF and 2 reading (almost done with Rock, Paper, Scissors- love it) - plan to finish up some school work today (end of semester) and then sit back and read more!!

@Andrew65 @DieAReader @GHABI4ROSES

Make a great day everyone - 🙂

Andrew65 Shame bout this one, but great progress. Well done 🎄🎄🎄 Enjoy your Christmas Break. 1y
DieAReader 🎄🎄🎄 1y
bthegood @Andrew65 @DieAReader thanks 🌲 (edited) 1y
DieAReader Great job!🥳🥳🥳 1y
32 likes4 comments
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bthegood
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#thisorthat Thanks for the tags @Ann_Reads and @JessClark78

for the books - seriously neither one - #unpopularopinion

Want to play @brittanybooks ?

Make a great day everyone 😊

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Jgacreations
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Mehso-so

I liked it and didn‘t like it. The ending saved it but it was really long and some parts were a little boring. Def glad i did the audio.

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Emilymdxn
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Mehso-so

Eh. I loved a head full of ghost SO much then this was the second of this writer‘s books that felt like a let down afterwards. A vampire story that might not be a vampire story with quite little attention paid to discussion of vampires? Sure?

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Emilymdxn
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Creepy audiobook on a cloudy day at work 🥰 I originally thought I‘d try to save spooky books for #scarathlon but I struggle to repress my spookiness all year. When the weather is starting to look autumnal it‘s simply impossible to hold back

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candc320
Bailedbailed

I tried. I was so bored by 30 pages that I didn‘t even want to pick it up anymore. I was going to try and push through but, after reading a review that says nothing happens until the last page, I just couldn‘t. I might give this another try as an audiobook but as for the hardback I‘m returning it to the library.

Megabooks You didn‘t miss much. 🤷🏻‍♀️ 2y
candc320 Haha thanks @Megabooks ! 2y
19 likes2 comments
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LauraJ
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Mehso-so

Well, it started off strong and then fizzled out. It‘s a maybe/maybe not vampire story with lots of 80‘s punk references. Was expecting more from Tremblay, who was too self-indulgent with this one.

Creadnorthey Cool art! 2y
36 likes1 comment
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LauraJ
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This is the first book aside from textbooks I‘ve bought in a year. Seems Littens are not fans, but I‘m going to give it a shot anyway…with my trusty foster kitten for company.

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LauraJ
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Happy National Black Cat Appreciation Day to my best reading buddy, Cecil.

ju.ca.no 💙💙💙 2y
Leftcoastzen Yay! 2y
RaeLovesToRead Hi Cecil! 😊😊💕 2y
HeathHof Aw, so handsome😻 2y
38 likes4 comments
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SomedayAlmost
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Book haul: Reads for mom & wee boy from our new Indie bookshop. Area horror author Paul Tremblay signed books there recently, so I picked up his latest. Which apparently comes with a beer cozy. Random, but Ok. #bookhaul #newbookstore

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Erinreadsthebooks
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I‘m not sure what this red writing is in this book, but I‘m intrigued. I love book notes. Can‘t wait to find out what they‘re all about 🤩📝

wanderinglynn The red seems like the character has added their own notes. Like breaking 4th wall. How intriguing, but also possibly distracting. I‘ll be curious to see what your final opinion is. 2y
NikkiRobson73 The red writing is mercy adding her corrections 2y
19 likes2 comments
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Megabooks
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Mehso-so

I appreciate it when a good writer can write as a bad writer. Let me explain. The book is written as if the MC were writing it as a memoir, and the MC is not as talented a Tremblay. There was also commentary from the MC‘s friend that created a book within a book within a book. Sometimes I can appreciate all this over construction of narrative (like in The Keep by Jennifer Egan), but here, it seemed to cover a flimsy plot. #BorrowNotBuy for sure.

Cinfhen Nope 👎🏼 thanks again ♥️ 2y
Megabooks @Cinfhen yup! 😉😘 2y
72 likes2 comments
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BeeMagical
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Mehso-so

Book 133📚 2.5⭐️

Hmmmm…. This was a TRUDGE to get through… but I also think that‘s how the author intended the writing to be?

I liked Mercys additions but can‘t say that I‘m still not confused about what I just read😂 I just really wanted to get to the end and it all make sense. It didn‘t😂

Horror? Supernatural? I couldn‘t classify it as so🤷🏼‍♀️

Jgacreations I started this and just couldn‘t get too far into it. It was just ok for me too 2y
35 likes1 comment
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kyraleseberg
Panpan

I love Paul Tremblay (Head Full of Ghosts, Cabin at the End of the World), this has a great cover, the title definitely captures my attention.
Unfortunately, this story is just... boring, to be honest. 🤷‍♀️

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Sara_Planz
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Pickpick

This is one of the most inventive books I have read in a long time. I really do recommend reading this as a physical book because of the way it is formatted to tell Art's story with Mercy's red notations. This book will have you wondering which character is recalling things accurately. Who is Mercy? What is she hiding? Is Art crazy or does he see something no one else can see? The Pallbearers Club is a clever twist on what a horror novel can be.

KristiAhlers Right? I really enjoyed this book! 2y
Kimberlone I won this as a Goodreads giveaway but haven‘t read it yet. Your review makes me more excited! 2y
LeahBergen This one has me intrigued! 2y
37 likes1 stack add3 comments
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DavidDiamond
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Mehso-so

A wholly unique experience when it comes to the narrative style and execution. However, there's a lot of internal dialogue going on (it is presented as a memoir...no, it's a novel...no, it's a memoir!) and not a lot seems to be happening. There's a few creepy moments and some fantastic LOL one-liners and barbs by the person (who I won't name) marking up the book in red ink.
But ultimately, in the end, it just didn't do it for me.

Addison_Reads I'm glad I wasn't the only one who felt this way about this book. I was so excited for it too. 2y
29 likes1 comment
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Addison_Reads
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Mehso-so

Perhaps my expectations were too high for this one, or maybe it's just not his best, but either way I found myself bored through a lot of this book.

Tremblay is a favorite of mine and for the first few chapters I was intrigued and invested. However, other than the musical references and a few clever interactions, I found the remainder of the book tedious and just overall "meh".

Ruthiella I think a meh book from a favorite author is more disappointing than other meh reads! 2y
Reggie Ok, thank goodness you so-so-ed it and I‘m not alone. It felt like the most uninteresting drawn out case of gaslighting I have ever read. 2y
Addison_Reads @Reggie when I saw your review I almost didn't read it. The topic was great, the incorporation of music worked well, but I agree, the rest of the story was so drawn out and uninteresting. His other books have seemed to be so cutting edge and they pushed boundaries, this almost felt like he just threw something together quickly without caring about the end result. 2y
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Addison_Reads @Ruthiella I agree completely. I have to remember to set my expectations lower on his next release and maybe it will work out better. 2y
vivastory You & @Reggie are killing me with the so-so ratings 😭😭 I haven't read it yet & now I'm thinking of waiting 2y
Reggie @vivastory no, please read it. Maybe we‘re the outliers. 2y
DavidDiamond Completely agree! 2y
35 likes7 comments
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Reggie
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Mehso-so

Imagine you, the reader, is in a relationship with Paul Tremblay. One night, you both decide to do something hot and masturbate in front of each other. You start and both of you are excited and all smiles. But then you notice him noticing himself, his smooth flat belly, his dad thighs. You can see him thinking about how hot it is that he used to be that picked on nerdy scrawny kid but now he‘s a math teacher who writes best selling books. A 👇🏼

Reggie hawwwt math teacher. You see him thinking silly things like the pen is truly mightier than the sword. But that he really does have a sword and not a pen. He tightens his wrists (because he has to use both hands) and strokes faster. You start to think odd thoughts like, ‘Did I put that load in the dryer yet?‘ and even weirder,‘Did I turn off the curling iron?‘ Weirder because you‘ve shaved your head for the past 10 years. You realize you‘re 👇🏼 2y
Reggie not even needed here. You get up do some chores and order some take out. Every time you pass that room he‘s in, he‘s still there stroking away. Which is great. You‘re glad for Paul because everyone needs that one that‘s just for them. I love Paul Tremblay and will still buy his books but this book was not for me at all. 2y
Mollyanna Welcome back Reggie!!! So good to see you again. I‘ve missed your reviews. 2y
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Reggie Hi @Mollyanna! I‘ve missed ya‘ll too. A lot. Good to see you again, too. 2y
Librarybelle Welcome back!! 2y
Jas16 Reggie!!! So glad you are back. You have been missed. 2y
Reggie @Librarybelle Thank you! 2y
Reggie @Jas16 I‘ve missed y‘all too. Thank you, Jennifer. And thank you for the books a couple of months ago. I went through our posts a couple of months ago and for all the times I called you Jessica I totally don‘t deserve them but thank you, my friend. 2y
vivastory OMG this review 😂 😂 2y
Reggie @vivastory I‘m glad you laughed. Lol 2y
sprainedbrain Gosh I missed you!! 2y
Reggie @sprainedbrain I‘ve missed you too, Jenni. 2y
Twainy Oh no, this book was on my list of 2022 must reads. Great review. 2y
Reggie @twainy thank you, and me too! I kept asking myself why I kept on reading. 2y
CarolynM 🤣🤣🤣 I think I‘ve read a few books like that. I‘m so glad you‘re back! 2y
Twainy Because it‘s PT! 😆 I see his name & I automatically throw the book on my TBR. Now I have to read it … I‘ve been warned … and now I‘ll be thinking about something entirely different … 2y
Reggie @CarolynM yeah, this book was a bit much. Lol thanks for laughing. 2y
Reggie @Twainy I know, we expect so much from him. I hope you do read it and who knows, you might like it. 2y
Bookzombie Lol great review! I will get to his other books before this one. 😂 2y
Reggie @Margie Yes, because the strength of the other ones allowed me to persevere through this one. The others are soooo good. Thanks for laughing with this review. Good to see you Margie! (edited) 2y
dylanisreading This review is brilliant. 🤣 2y
Reggie @dylanisreading thank you, and thanks for laughing. 2y
Centique 😂😂😂 Welcome back! I love that your review has a warning in the image. Brilliant. PS I MISSED YOU! 2y
Centique PPS at the end of this review you shoulda *dropped the mike* 🙌 2y
Reggie @Centique Hi Paula!! I‘ve missed you too! I hope you‘re feeling ok. 2y
Centique @Reggie thanks lovely! I am getting better every day. Luckily I can work from home 👍👍 2y
TrishB Hi Reggie , so good to see you back! I had been really looking forward to this book 😁 2y
Reggie @TrishB Hi TrishB! Me and you have split on some books so who knows, you might still like it. For me, he was being self indulgent on telling the longest tale of gaslighting I‘ve read and it wasn‘t that high stakes or interesting for me. You might like it just for the music references, who knows. 2y
Leftcoastzen 👏😂just wow , what a review! I am probably one of the few here that hasn‘t read him , & now I don‘t know what to think!😁 2y
Rissreads Woo hoo! Your back! You were missed. I sent you 2 books but the tracking on book depository hasn‘t worked. The two books were The Blackwater lightship and The Herd. If they haven‘t arrived I‘ll have to chase them up! I‘ve really missed your reviews 🤣 (edited) 2y
TrishB I will probably still give it a go 🤷‍♀️ 2y
Reggie @Leftcoastzen whatever you do, don‘t start with this book. Head Full of Ghosts, Disappearance at Devil‘s Rock, The Cabin at the End of the World, Survivor Song, all infinitely better than this one. 2y
Reggie @Rissreads I got them . Thank you so much Rissa! And thank you for laughing! 2y
Leftcoastzen I was gonna ask , do you have a favorite of his ? I want to start with the best! 😄 2y
Michael_Gee Omg amazing. And I am so glad to see you posting again! Seriously missed you. 2y
Reggie @Leftcoastzen I say start with Head Full of Ghosts. Cabin is great but Head Full of Ghosts is where I think everyone started to love him. 2y
Leftcoastzen Thanks! 2y
Rissreads Yay, I‘m so glad you got them! I meant to write a card to go with them but never got around to it. Life got busy. X 2y
CoverToCoverGirl Welcome back! 🙂 You have been seriously missed. 2y
Suet624 Reggie! A monster review to come back to Litsy with. Fantastic. And a new photo perhaps? Life is so much better when you‘re around. 2y
Reggie @CoverToCoverGirl Thank you! I missed ya‘ll a lot, too. 2y
AmyG Well, that‘s a review. I only want to read it because there was a review that referenced Husker Du….Bob Mould is a favorite. But now…. 😳 2y
Reggie @AmyG yeah, I‘m sure someone could make a whole Spotify playlist of all the punk mentioned in here. It just felt like the most drawn out, uninteresting tale of gaslighting I have ever read. 2y
52 likes1 stack add43 comments
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KristiAhlers
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Pickpick

I legitimately don‘t k know how to explain this book except to say it‘s a laugh out loud until you cry (yeah surprised me too) psychological, horror suspense read. There. Make of that what you will. In any event for me it was a total page turner ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ read. Quirky characters, loved the format of the writing. Trust me just go in blind and enjoy.

BookwormM Love Tremblay 2y
KristiAhlers @BookwormM this is actually the first time I‘ve read him. It won‘t be the last! 2y
52 likes6 stack adds2 comments
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DavidDiamond
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The latest addition to my physical TBR pile!

BookwormM Love Tremblay 2y
DavidDiamond @BookwormM Me too! I have a couple signed books by him too. Super nice guy! 2y
BookwormM @DavidDiamond good to hear he is nice is real life. I love the ambiguity of his stories 2y
33 likes3 comments
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AmyG
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And with that….my most anticipated book of this year.

TrishB This sounds fab! 2y
vivastory I cannot wait 👏 🤘 2y
BookwormM Love Tremblay 2y
Magpiegem That sounds AMAZING!!!! 2y
50 likes5 stack adds4 comments
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jackilynn
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This book comes out next week & I kind of forgot I had an ARC of it sitting on my shelf. I guess I best get to reading! 😳😬🤦‍♀️

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vivastory
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A new Paul Tremblay is always a #gift I am very intrigued by the description of this one. #wishesandblessings @eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

amywithbooks Oh I can't wait for this! It sounds so creepy! 2y
vivastory @amywithbooks It really does & I can't wait! I dig the cover, too 2y
Eggs Tremblay is good 👏🏻🤩 2y
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LeahBergen Oh, I‘ll be reading this! 2y
vivastory @LeahBergen This is because you have impeccable taste! 2y
LeahBergen 😆😆 2y
BarbaraBB A little something from Amazon is coming your way 🤶. According to my t&t it‘ll arrive tomorrow! 2y
vivastory @BarbaraBB You are much too generous, Barbara! I look forward to it. This brightened my day. 2y
51 likes4 stack adds8 comments