Helluva
Luxe
A Novel by Natalie Essary
ISBN: 978-1-59021-197-7
Lethe Press
236 pgs.
Release Date: 05 September 2012
Contact: Steve Berman, lethepress@aol.com
Helluva Luxe is a creepy-crawly thrill ride through the dank and musty catacombs of a goth bar and the past of its denizens. A first novel for Austin writer Natalie Essary, Helluva Luxe is at once gripping while simultaneously skirting the off-putting on occasion. Not that the flaws in anyway detract from the overall dark and dangerous allure of the book; on the contrary, they merely set the mark of expectation for the next two books – Essary has said on Facebook (yeah, I know, real reliable source) that this is the first of a trilogy.
The book is named for the bar that is the center stage for the action and revolves primarily around the initiation of newcomer Nick and his burgeoning relationship with head bartender Rorke and the exploits of the hypnotically seductive DJ Ash and her on again/off again girlfriend Lily, the latter told in flashback fashion. There are fast cars and motorcycles, a playlist that would make any goth DJ smooth her cloak in pride, more booze and weed at breakfast than is feasible for most people to function for the rest of the day and bacon – lots and lots of bacon.
Interlaced amongst all that is inter-bar intrigue, numerous nods to the band Honky, a pretentious gay photographer with an odd relationship with his half-sister and a brief brush with celebrity in the form of an almost-date with The ‘L’ Word‘s Katherine Moennig. And a tiger. An honest to gosh tiger.
It sounds like it should be a disjointed mess, but it works. The only complaint I have is the litany of song titles and artists listed throughout the book begins to read like the name dropping of high-end men’s products Bret Easton Ellis resorted to in American Psycho, especially if you doesn’t know the songs. But while the book doesn’t come with a CD, there is a Spotify playlist and for those who don’t subscribe, a YouTube playlist.
All in all an enjoyable read and the twist at the end (that’s right, you gotta read right up to the very last page, folks) promises more dark and sultry suspenseful action over the next two books to which Helluva Luxe is an essential introduction.
– Trevor J Wallace