“What the Hell Did I Just Read” by David Wong – The Unreliable Narrators
Into David Wong's Absurdity
David Wong is a writer that doesn't need much of an introduction for those who are into horror comedies.
His John Dies at the End and This Book is Full of Spiders have catapulted him into relative stardom, demonstrating his capability of bringing something original and hilarious to the genre.
Perhaps without really wanting to, Wong created one of the most memorable and likeable trios in recent memory with Dave, John and Amy; a band of arguable losers and definite misfits who seem to be drawn to circumstances as strange as they are themselves.
Reluctantly, they've saved their worthless little town of [Undisclosed] on more than one occasion, battling threats that seem much more ridiculous and nonsensical than actually deadly (despite it being the case).
With the third book in the series, What the Hell Did I Just Read, Wong returns to our three beloved stooges and has them recount a rather unbelievable story.
To put it as simply and plainly as possible, Dave, John and Amy had an encounter with a strange creature from another dimension. Its goal is to steal children and then brainwash their parents. And to make matters slightly worse, it also happens to be imbued with shape-shifting powers.
The trouble starts for the trio when a homophobic, spiteful, terrified and spent ex-soldier realizes that his only hope of finding his missing daughter are town's two morons (John and Dave).
From there on out, things just snowball as they always tend to with Wong novels, taking surrealistic turns into the realms of the absurd. However, as we get to hear the story told by the three protagonist, it becomes increasingly apparent that at least one of them, if not all, are lying.
The Fine Line Between Horror and Comedy
The problem with most horror comedies is that they can't manage to tread the fine line between the two genres; either it falls to one side or the other. It's quite difficult to balance frights with laughs and atmospheric tension with comic relief for the entirety of a story, but I believe that David Wong comes closer than most to succeeding.
While I would categorize his books as more in the realms of dark comedy, rest assured that there are many moments that feel true to the horror genre, where comedy takes a backseat to the horrors hiding within the human mind.
I wouldn't say that this is the kind of book that will outright scare you, but some segments are indeed unsettling and serve to remind us that this story isn't just a walk in the park with a few laughs.
As for the trademark humour, rest assured that it's all there in its bizarre lunacy, with outrageous, preposterous and ludicrous moments aplenty. On more than a few occasions I was caught by surprise by David Wong's nonsensical style, only accentuated by the idiosyncratic characters that populate his stories... and that's from someone who read the previous two books and is expecting it.
It's safe to say he hasn't lost his touch and can still make his readers burst into tears of laughter, and while some of his material may be offensive to a few, I'm sure if you're interested in this author you aren't part of that crowd.
The Nature of Man
While the author is known for his extravagant style of storytelling and all the laughs and horror it brings with, he also has a decent amount of insight to share into the human mind.
Just like his previous books, this one is interspersed with a continuous exploration of the nature of depression and the kind of attachment we form to our loved, the deep roads they can lead us on. There are enough philosophical meditations to add some real depth and complexity to the characters.
While the three protagonists are already well-developed, Wong manages to explore new depths with this new scenario they find themselves in with an undetermined unreliable narrator.
As for the supporting cast, they are about as diverse and unique as you'd expect from a novel in this series. It feels like nearly every single person is completely original and different from the last, their personalities painted with a fine brush.
The Final Verdict
With everything being said and done, What the Hell Did I Just Read is more or less a masterpiece of storytelling. It always keeps you engaged, whether it's through the characters, the humour, the horror, the philosophy, or the sheer ridiculousness of the plot.
Everything makes as much sense as it can within the context, one page flows right into the next one with no effort... long story short, there isn't a single thing out of place here.
If you're a fan of David Wong or think you might enjoy his off-beat brand of humour, then this is one book you will want to add to your collection.
 | Jason Pargin (David Wong)Jason Pargin is best-known by the pen name of David Wong, which he used so far to write two novels, John Dies at the End and This Book is Full of Spiders, as well as a number of articles on the website Cracked.com. It should be mentioned that the former of the two books mentioned was adapted into a major motion picture in 2012. |
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