Order THERE'S NO HAPPY ENDING here
(also reviewed)
Order JIGSAW YOUTH here
What had happened to Dresden?
"Whatever happened,"she whispered, "I hope you're safe."
I remember the first girl I've ever fell in love with quite vividly. Of course, I was only projecting my emotions and romantic fantasies on her. I didn't know her all that well, but this stuff still inhabits me. Today, she's embraced motherhood and lives some kind of half-life in my hometown, but I still think about her. About who he used to be. Reminds me how precious these moments were and how lucky I was to get over this experience. Tiffany Scandal, whom I've discussed in lengths on this blog already, has a natural talent for portraying these pure feelings in literature.
Her first publication THERE'S NO HAPPY ENDING, released in 2013 by Eraserhead Press, struck that visceral chord with me and and brought me back to a time in my life where I felt everything too deeply. I can't think of a greater thing literature can accomplish.
THERE'S NO HAPPY ENDING might be off-putting to some readers at first, especially after reading JIGSAW YOUTH, because the tone is quite dissonant with the story. It's all by design though. Dresden and Isobel are star-crossed lovers looking to tie the knot before the world ends and judging by how quick a mysterious plague has been dismantling humanity, they decide to take the leap after spending 7 years together. Only problem is that Dresden' mom (and he comes from a wealthy family), doesn't like him romancing a girl from low lineage, so she kidnaps him on the eve of the wedding and the star-crossed lovers are separate at the end of the world on what was supposed to be the most beautiful day of their lives.
I'm sure you guessed it, there's a bit of a fairy tale/tragedian vibe to THERE'S NO HAPPY ENDING. It takes elements of classic tragedy, romance and apocalyptic horror to create something original, in true bizzaro literature fashion.The apocalyptic horror element was particularly interesting for its allegoric value. It is the symbol of the all-consuming desire of two young lovers who cannot be there for one another. The way Tiffany Scandal portrayed Isobel in THERE'S NO HAPPY ENDING is how every lover portrays their significant other going through a disaster scenario when they're going through a paranoid love-fueled panic attack and breathing through a paper bag.
Speaking of which, Scandal did a great job once more at writing a female characters I actually want to read. She is a 100% badass wasteland heroin that isn't a male fantasy. He doesn't know Kung Fu, she does't have weapons and she's not wearing leather pants and stiletto heels to assert her femininity, she's just a courageous girl who's in love with her future husband. Leave it to a woman to write a complex and endearing female character with a few brush strokes. THERE'S NO HAPPY ENDING is a reverse classic tragedy where the woman is courageously looking for her fiancé. What makes Isobel special is her strong resolve, not her looks (she is blissfully not well described) or her Liam Neeson set of skills.
The fairy tale tone of THERE'S NO HAPPY ENDING took some getting used to, but it grew on me. I mean, there is no reason why Dresden's mother hates Isobel so much, her motivations are murky at best, but it doesn't matter because THERE'S NO HAPPY ENDING is not mimesis. It's catharsis, a story meant to make you dream and escape the boredom of your daily grind. I was apprehensive at reading a less personal book from Tiffany Scandal after falling hard for JIGSAW YOUTH, but it turns out I had nothing to worry about. She's an author with a unique vision and a special talent for building female characters that transcend clichés. Scandal's my favourite discovery of 2015 and by far.
The fairy tale tone of THERE'S NO HAPPY ENDING took some getting used to, but it grew on me. I mean, there is no reason why Dresden's mother hates Isobel so much, her motivations are murky at best, but it doesn't matter because THERE'S NO HAPPY ENDING is not mimesis. It's catharsis, a story meant to make you dream and escape the boredom of your daily grind. I was apprehensive at reading a less personal book from Tiffany Scandal after falling hard for JIGSAW YOUTH, but it turns out I had nothing to worry about. She's an author with a unique vision and a special talent for building female characters that transcend clichés. Scandal's my favourite discovery of 2015 and by far.
