Tell All - Book Review

The angle of responsibilities rests on the perilous bodies of certain shoulders. Celebrity defined pushes this concept of ego to an even higher level so the possibilities become more inherently dire (or at least overdramatic). This diatribe forms the heart of the short novel "Tell All" [Chuck Palahniuk/Doubleday/179 pgs]. Written with reflexivity that mirrors some of his more inventive works, the author uses the film camera motif as almost a parody of a life spent in front of their peering eye. The plot revolves around a woman who serves as a guardian, confident, nanny and the like for a fading movie star. While the time frame and age is reflective almost in a "Death Becomes Her" type of way, the ideal is inherently studio system and borderline noir but with a sense of the vulgarity of today that wasn't as specifically seen in the novels of the time. The book also serves in function to a reverse "Sunset Boulevard" and its vicious repeal understands the necessity of balance. The ending is stark but not unseen. Like a "Basic Instinct" but comparative where the words or the inference of them can be stronger than the actual act, the planning of a murder by verbage and how it can reflect in the subconscious is shown with inventive and sly originality which is the paintwork of the author. However, even more so than "Choke", the novel is built within flash structure and cinematic visions almost like a flip book of ironic and, at times, funny paranoia. Out of 5, I give "Tell All" a 3.