FINAL TESTIMONY OF RAPHAEL

by Paul Sussman

Final Testimony of Raphael Ignatius Phoenix

Genres: Fiction, Audiobook, Historical Fiction, Mystery Thriller, Fantasy, Dark, Crime

416 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2014

About the author

Paul Sussman (11 July 1966 – 31 May 2012) was educated at Merchant Taylors' School and St. John's College, Cambridge, where he won a Joseph Larmor Award and a boxing blue. His novels have been translated into 33 languages and are set mainly in Egypt, where he worked for many years as a field archaeologist, notably with the Amarna Royal Tombs Project in the Valley of the Kings. Among other finds, he unearthed the only items of pharaonic jewellery to have been excavated in the Valley since the discovery of Tutankhamun in 1922. As a journalist he was a long-time contributor to the The Big Issue, where he won a Periodical Publishers Association Columnist of the Year Award for his satirical "In the News" column. He has also written for, among others, The Independent, The Guardian, The Evening Standard, The Daily Telegraph, The Spectator, Cosmopolitan and CNN.com.

On 31st May 2012, Paul Sussman died suddenly from a ruptured aneurysm, leaving a wife and two sons.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Sus...

Reviews

[Mohammed Arabey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Think of Forrest Gump, But in backward..with every meaning of "Backward"

Where Life is not like a box of Chocolate, it's like a box of deathly bullets. You never know WHO are you gonna give !!,Oh and a Pill.

Not only bullets, 10 to be exact,there's also The Pill, One and half grains of strychnine, one and half grains of arsenic, half a grain of salt of hydrocyanic acid and half of a grain of crushed ipecacuanha root..

With this deathly Pill, Raphael Ignatius Phoenix 'R.I.P.' gonna end his life..

...and as I said it's really like Forrest Gump, just in backward...

~ ~ First Backward ~ ~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You see, He's Telling his story in actual backward..
Well, actually he's writing it on a vast white walls of a castle's rooms he's living in.. just like old Egyptian Pharaohs..'I guess Paul Sussman really was inspired by the Egyptology from very early stage of his writings'

He starts writing from his last event, to the one next before 'yes, this expressions you're gonna read at his tale' to the next before and so on till his birth.

It was actually fun, reminded me a bit of the way the movie Memento (2000) was going on, every new scene is right next before too, if that makes any sense..

The bad thing that every chapter of his past life is followed by a "notes" chapter of how he has written the previous chapter and the current day of his last 10..
It was fun idea of writing on the walls but he made me suffer how he thought about that all ,which takes long pages...but after was good chapters break, just some of it was longer than the story needed.

********************************

~ ~ Second Backward ~ ~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As I said , R.I.P 's life is not a box of Chocolate, every chapter of his life, every choice is not sweet one, it Always ends by a murder...
Well, not by gun , never by a weapon, and he mostly didn't intended to do most of his ten murderers.

It just happened, half of them were actually ridiculous for me -I won't spoil it for you- but when you think of the lives of those who got murdered it was also ridiculous enough...they didn't live their life right, and that was just like a karma..

I hated R.I.P for the chapter of murdering lord Slaggsby , he was so much ridiculous than ever at this one..
But with the albino twins , God that was so brutal , but I loved the symbol and metaphor of this particular story , it was WWII , people and countries were brutal and brothers killing each others.

And was nice metaphor when he mentioned in his notes chapter that he write this story the hardest way in the cellar and it 'devoured' more pens than any other story - just as war devoured both resources and lives..

There's also the metaphor of the nosy annoying woman , who took more writing space than it should... I see it as a symbol of how we sometimes gives unworthy interests more than it should deserve, wasting time of our lives..

Other murders comes just right for me, as the conspiracy theories paranoid man who get a grand finale for his warnings propaganda life.

Murders also fit perfectly to the time or era it happened on...it was so much fun look back at the last century with its many different styles and events, although I craved for more..

Ah one last thing at this point, he actually used a weapon once....it was a Catapult ...I know he's just 100 years old not 1000 But you know strange $#! T happens in life.

********************************

~ ~ Third Backward ~ ~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Yeah he's 100 years old, or will be at 10 days after the beginning of the novel..
So He's not going into new chapter of his life like Gump, He's about ending it by the Pill I talked about , so it's not just 10 murders..He is gonna be the eleventh, and the final one..
So it's his suicide note..And His Past Story which after all can be consider some how a new chapter of life...in backward too.

The past, it would seem, is every bit as mysterious as the future, every bit as uncertain and pregnant with opportunity. I might only have seven days left in front of me, but behind there's a whole life waiting to be lived.

Somehow I didn't like much the ending, I was expecting more than the very expected one I just got....it was a new Millennium too I wanted more...but , it's life...ce la vie..

-------------------------------
********************************
-------------------------------

Finally
-----------
So 3 Backwards...you might ask Why did I like it enough to compare it to Forrest Gump? "one of my favorite movies"

Or rate it 4 ٍStars? well, it was 3 actually but when I look back and think about it and its symbols I've just mentioned , and the believe that if Mr.Paul Sussman was alive, and revised his manuscript he had written by the mid nineties and never complete it for he turned his writings into thrillers and Egyptian Inspector Yousif Khalifa's series, I think he'd have made it a real masterpiece with more symbols, better editing and more wit endings.

The writing was so fun at many parts, dull at other few, super hard sophisticated vocabulary sometimes...-I think it's English Writer's Issue :)-

But the thing I really like is the emotional parts of the story..

The story of Emily
****************
It was vague somehow but really touching and moving till the very end of the novel.
Reminded me a bit of Gump's love story in the movie, just backward too somehow , or the story of Dr. Refaat Ismael and Maggie Maculub From an Arabic novels series in some points..

That kind of sweet , unreachable love which can be also useful and encouraging at the same time .. For R.I.P when he felt he hit the very lowest bottom in his life, she always gives him a hand to get him on his feet again... To start over .well,until he blows his new opportunity again by a murder...

And just I got to mention that what made it more pleasant read, I imagined those awesome great talented stars for the roles of Raphael and Emily over the years..





Till The Very End of Time..and Beyond.


************************************
Opportunity of life
*********************

How many bright futures have I scuppered by murdering people? Then again, how many bright futures have I opened up by doing exactly the same thing?

Well this line is so fit the The Life of R.I.P. it's back to the chocolates box theory , but in backward of course..

And as I said, it's those who give up to life to take its course without their good lead to it, those who make their life really ridicules..

It's A Novel about Life and Death and all points in between.

Well, the tag line of the novel didn't lie about that..
************************************
The touch of sweet Nostalgia
*************************

Emily About RIP's Father: I liked him. He was a very interesting man.
RIP: I suppose he was. I never really thought about it. That's the way of these things. You only really fully appreciate people when they're dead. Life clouds your judgement...

His memory of his father by the end was very touching too, gave me a teary eyes and so hard nostalgic feeling.

Even the visits of the Doctor who provides him supplies was the very touching part by the end..

His sad parts,and his early story that you'll counter by the end may makes you feel bit better about R.I.P, who I guess I hated him so much in many parts of the novel, but I felt sorry for him later....even liked him..

..liked his tale after all, liked his notes and his Final Testimony..
The Final Testimony of Raphael Ignatius Phoenix.


Mohammed Arabey
Read from:
25 Oct. 2014
To
2 Nov. 2014

[Aggeliki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ο πνευματώδης Ραφαήλ Ιγνάτιος Φίνιξ κάθε άλλο είναι παρά ένας συμβατικός γεράκος. Και παρόλα τα εκατό χρόνια του, εξακολουθεί να είναι ένας συναρπαστικός χαρακτήρας. Οχι μόνο για το παρελθόν του που μας εξιστορεί τόσο γλαφυρά, αλλά και για το παρόν του. Γιατί μέλλον δε θέλει να έχει και βασίζεται στο Χάπι γι'αυτό.
Ο αθυρόστομος Ραφαήλ γράφει τον απολογισμό της ζωής του στους τοίχους της τελευταίας του στέγης, τόσο απολαυστικά που μοιραία τον αγαπάς.
Ο Sussman έφτιαξε τόσο επιδέξια τον πολυσύνθετο χαρακτήρα του Ραφαήλ που κινείται με τόση ευκολία εντός και εκτός νόμου, ηθικής και λογικής με μοναδική του σταθερά τη φωτογραφία που κουβαλάει μαζί του και την αγάπη του για την Εμιλι, την παιδική του φίλη που οι εμφανίσεις της γίνονται πάντα σε κάθε αλλαγή της ζωής του.
Αν εξαιρέσει κανείς τα πολλά τυπογραφικά λάθη που δηλώνουν προχειρότητα εκ μέρους του εκδοτικού, είναι ευχάριστο στην ανάγνωση. Και ο κάθε αναγνώστης με την κρίση του, μπορεί να βρει αρκετά σημεία για σκέψη, ανασκόπηση και απολογισμό.

[Elena Petreska · Rating 2 out of 5]

I started out liking this book and by the end I could not wait to finish it and just be done. I loved the initial story but nothing interesting ever happened really. The ending in particular disappointed me, as I kept hoping for a grand finish that essentially just flopped. Complete waste of my time.

[Miles · Rating 5 out of 5]

As soon as I saw the title of this book - The Final Testimony of Raphael Ignatius Phoenix – I knew I wanted to read it, it’s as simple as that really. I can’t tell you why, I just did. Maybe the title reminded me of one of my favourite films – The Princess Bride – and its main character Inigo Montoya who proclaimed that you killed his father, prepare to die. Maybe Raphael reminded me of Johnny Depp’s character in Don Juan de Marco – I have no idea. Whatever the reason, and granted neither of the two aforementioned characters have anything to do with the book, I can’t tell you how delighted I am to have experienced such a magical and distinct voice in Raphael Ignatius Phoenix.

Quite clearly – if you haven’t guessed by now – this is one of my favourite books and main protagonists I’ve had the pleasure in reading for a number of years, this book – and Raphael - will stay with me for some time to come. What made the experience all the more poignant is that I discovered the author, Paul Sussman, died in 2012 aged just 45 of a ruptured aneurysm, a great loss to publishing. I’ve not had the opportunity to read his other books but given that this, his first novel, shows so much strength and character I have no option other than to experience his later work. One thing is certain that with this debut title he leaves an indelible mark on the literary world.

Raphael has decided to kill himself on his 100th birthday. Determined to leave a suicide note he begins to tell his story and slowly works his way back through the decades to his very first murder. It’s a slow but imaginative process, there’s a lot to tell. It’s never rushed, the narrative is both poignant and breath-taking. Sussman clearly knew how to write and what makes this title more fascinating is that it was never published during his lifetime.

Along the way we meet numerous colourful characters and personalities but no one comes close to the power and hold Raphael has over the reader. This is one guy who clearly has his head screwed on – or does he – and from a very early age he is on the move, covering his tracks as best he can. One scrape determines his journey, each murder morphing seamlessly into the next adventure.

I really enjoyed how he told the story, not from beginning to end as I expected, but from Raphael’s final days to his very first breath. Imaginative and well told, this is one story that deserves to be read again and again.

[Mandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an original and delightful book this is! It languished in the author’s desk after being rejected (yet again, it astonishes me just how short-sighted publishers can be) until after his all too early death when his wife retrieved it and prepared it for publication. Paul Sussman had gone on to write some well-received detective novels but this first book is quite different – quirky, slightly surreal and absurd, but rooted firmly enough in reality to make both plot and main character easy to believe in.
It’s the story of Raphael Phoenix, born at the turn of the nineteenth century and planning his death for the turn of the twentieth, something he intends to do in a quite unorthodox way. But then his whole life has been pretty unorthodox, and as he writes his account of it before committing suicide, we go back in time to learn how he became a serial killer – not that he intended being responsible for all those deaths. I’m not going to say more about the plot, as part of the joy of reading this book is discovering what happens.
Imaginative, extremely well-written, with an admirable and impressive command of plot, character and the narrative threads, with each adventure or incident segueing effortlessly into the next, it’s a thoroughly entertaining and enjoyable book, and one that deserves a wide readership.

[Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm quite sad to have come to the end of the book, it is one of those rare books for me which I wish would go on forever, so delightful is its atmosphere and tone! It is written in an engaging style and the narrator/protagonist is one of these anti-heroes that are so endearing to the reader.
It is also very well crafted - starting from the present time and spooling back into the past - and it affords the reader an overview of the whole of the 20th century in England and the States.
Most of all, it is an original story, both funny and moving (see blurb).
The only fault I can find with the book, and that is the reason I didn't give it a full-star rating, is all the bits about writing itself, which don't bring much and definitely slow down the story or at least break its momentum. That could easily have been avoided with better editing. But barring that, it's a very enjoying novel, I fully recommend it!

[Άννα Λύκου · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Εμπιστεύομαι το Χάπι μου. Με τα χρόνια αναπτύξαμε μια ιδιαίτερη σχέση, και ξέρω με σιγουριά ότι δε θα μου έκανε ποτέ κακό, όπως δε θα του έκανα κι εγώ. Φυσικά, δεν μπορώ να είμαι απολύτως βέβαιος μέχρι να το καταπιώ αλλά έχω την πεποίθηση, όσο μπορεί να την έχει κάποιος χωρίς αποδείξεις ότι, όταν έρθει η κρίσιμη στιγμή, το Χάπι θα κάνει τη δουλειά του γρήγορα, νοικοκυρεμένα και αθόρυβα..
Με λένε Ραφαήλ Ιγνάτιο Φίνιξ και είμαι εκατό χρόνων - ή, για να ακριβολογήσω, θα γίνω σε δέκα μέρες, τις πρώτες ώρες της 1ης Ιανουαρίου του 2000, όταν θα αυτοκτονήσω."

Ο Ραφαήλ Ιγνάτιος Φίνιξ (R.I.P.) γεννήθηκε την πρωτοχρονιά του 1900 διαπράττοντας τον πρώτο του φόνο. Σκοτώνοντας τη μητέρα του. Μη μπορώντας να ξεφύγει από το πεπρωμένο, θα διαπράξει δέκα ακόμα φόνους που αντιστοιχούν στις δέκα δεκαετίες της ζωής του.
Λίγες μέρες πριν συμπληρώσει τα εκατό, έχοντας έρθει αντιμέτωπος με μια συγκλονιστική αποκάλυψη, αποφασίζει να αυτοκτονήσει με το Χάπι που κουβαλάει μαζί του από 10 ετών. Πρέπει όμως πρώτα να αφηγηθεί τη ζωή του. Χρησιμοποιεί ως καμβά της αφήγησής του τους τοίχους του κάστρου όπου διαμένει τα τελευταία χρόνια. Κάθε δωμάτιο και μια ιστορία, ένας φόνος καταγεγραμμένος με μαρκαδόρο. Ξεκινάει αντίστροφα και καθώς επιστρέφει στο παρελθόν, ο απολογισμός του μετατρέπεται σε έναν ύμνο της ζωής. Μιας ζωής γεμάτης καταχρήσεις, απίστευτες εμπειρίες και μια Έμιλυ που τις δένει όλες μαζί μιας και εμφανίζεται τόσο απροσδόκητα όσο και εξαφανίζεται ανάμεσα σε αυτές. Η Έμιλυ που στα 10 τον κλείδωσε στο ερμάρι της τελειότητάς της όπως ο ίδιος αναφέρει χαρακτηριστικά. Η Έμιλυ που χάρη σε αυτήν απέκτησε το Χάπι και η οποία είναι παραδόξως πάντα εκεί τη στιγμή που οι επιλογές του περιορίζονται δραματικά.
Η εξωφρενική Ομολογία του Φίνιξ είναι πραγματικά εξωφρενική καθώς δεν μπορώ να βρω λέξη που να την περιγράφει καλύτερα.

[John Herbert · Rating 5 out of 5]

How truly incredible to believe that at one time the author, Paul Sussman, had given up on the manuscript for this book, and after he sadly died in May 2012 we, the reader, had the good fortune that his wife picked it up again and co-edited the final draft, which portrays the magical humour of the author.

Raphael Ignatius Phoenix (RIP) was born at the beginning of the 20th century and will be 100 years old as the millennium ends.

He is determined to write his fantastical life story on the castle walls where he lives, which includes 10 murders that he has committed, before popping in a suicide pill, a pill that he’s been carrying around for about 90 of those years!

I, personally, found this to be one of the most beautiful and satisfying of reads; the murders were inventive and humorous, the antics of our anti-hero were sublimely comical, and the writing was so wonderful in that the pages simply raced by.

I didn’t want this hilarious ride to finish, I really didn’t!

And the ending, especially the relationship with Emily, his childhood friend,leaves you gasping. Never expected that!

My goodness...I’m really sad that the experience has finished.

Ps. What a beautiful cover on the hardback, by the way.

[Knigoqdec · Rating 3 out of 5]

Рафаел Финикс е, поне според мен, един психичноболен мъж, изживял цял век, който ни запознава с живота си така, сякаш иска да ни убеди, че колкото и грозен и развален да е един човек, пак може да е "ЗА" живота. Въпреки че единственото му желание е да изчезне от същия този живот.
Книгата наподобява нереалистичен разказ за "чудни приключения", нещо като Форест Гъмп например. Разликата е в това, че тук героят има убийствени наклонности и е по-скоро безсърдечен и отблъскващ. На външен вид е напълно нормален, но всъщност паралелите, които прави и мотивите зад действията му са болни, жестоки и по определен начин безсмислени. Не мисля, че е представен с идеята да буди симпатия, което и не се случва. Каквато и да е била идеята на автора за този роман, нямаме никакво "пречистване", ами точно обратното.
Не мога да кажа със сигурност, че тази книга ми харесва, но има нещо малко особено и неопределено в нея, което ме кара да ѝ дам три звезди.

[Stamatoula · Rating 4 out of 5]

*ΑΥΤΗ Η ΚΡΙΤΙΚΉ ΕΧΕΙ ΣΠΟΙΛ, ΑΛΛΑ ΔΕΝ ΕΧΕΙ ΣΠΟΙΛ, ΑΜΑ ΘΕΣ ΝΑ ΜΑΘΕΙΣ ΤΙ ΕΝΝΟΩ, ΔΙΆΒΑΣΕ ΤΗΝ, ΜΕ ΔΙΚΗ ΣΟΥ ΕΥΘΎΝΗ*
:)
Η εξωφρενική ομολογία του Ραφαήλ Ιγνάτιου Φινιξ. Ένα βιβλίο το οποίο όταν με ρωταγανε τι διαβάζω έλεγα "την ομολογία" και περιφανευομουν και άρχισα να εξηγώ την πλοκή, μέχρι εκεί που είχα διαβάσει.
Ένα βιβλίο το οποίο όταν το άρχισα, παραξενεύτηκα με την χυδαιότητα στο τρόπο έκφρασης του, αλλά με κέρδισε η ειλικρίνεια και η καυστικοτητα του. Ένας πρωταγωνιστής ο οποίος είναι εκκεντρικός, όπως τον χαρακτήρισε η Έμιλυ. Η Έμιλυ του. Η Έμιλυ που δεν μπορούσε να αφήσει όπως ούτε εκείνη μπορούσε να τον αφήσει. Αν δεν είχα την ανάγκη να μάθω τι θα γίνει μετά, θα σταματούσα και θα έκλαιγα. Δεν ξέρω για πόση ώρα, αλλά το χρειαζομουν. Μπορεί τα κεφάλαια να ήταν πολλές σελίδες, κάτι που δεν είμαι φαν, αλλά δεν μπορούσες να αφήσεις το βιβλίο από τα χέρια σου. Μου άρεσε που είχε ενδιάμεσα κεφάλαια με τις σκέψεις του και τα γεγονότα που διέκοπταν την συγγραφή του, μου άρεσε που στο τέλος στον πύργο, μια "νεότερη εκδοχή του, του την έφερε", μου άρεσε που όλα τα σύμβολα στο εξώφυλλο, σημαίνουν κάτι. Έπρεπε απλά να διαβάσεις για να καταλάβεις. Από τον πρώτο τελευταίο φόνο του, το ποιόν αναμενόμενο, μέχρι τον τελευταίο πρώτο του φόνο, τον πιο απροσδόκητο, ο Ραφαήλ είναι εδώ για να σου εξηγήσει τα πάντα και ταυτόχρονα να κάνει μια ανασκόπηση σε πράγματα αστεία, πράγματα αληθινά, πράγματα που πονάνε. Και αξίζει να τα διαβάσεις! Ο μόνος λόγος που του έβαλα 4, είναι γιατί έπρεπε να χονεψω λίγο το τέλος, μου ήρθε ξαφνικό. Κατά τα άλλα, αυτό το βιβλίο, στην καρδιά μου έχει κερδίσει το 5, όπως και ο Ραφαήλ και η ιστορία του έχουν κερδίσει μια θέση εκεί! <3

[Κέλλυ Θεοδωρακοπούλου · Rating 4 out of 5]

Θα μπορούσε να θεωρηθεί μια βελτιωμένη εκδοχή του "Εκατοντάχρονου που πήδηξε από το παράθυρο και εξαφανίστηκε": ένας παραλίγο αιωνόβιος διηγείται τη ζωή του από το τέλος προς την αρχή, με ορόσημα τους δέκα φόνους που θεωρεί ότι έχει διαπράξει και που συνήθως είναι κάτι σαν την τελευταία και μοιραία σπρωξιά όταν ένα μισητό άτομο τυχαίνει να βρίσκεται σε επικίνδυνη θέση. Περισσότερες λεπτομέρειες από τον άλλο "Εκατοντάχρονο", περισσότερο βάθος στους χαρακτήρες, περισσότερο χιούμορ, λιγότερες έως καμία συναντήσεις με διάσημα ιστορικά πρόσω��α, καλύτερη σάτιρα και επίσης περισσότερο σεξ. Άντε και μερικές ανατροπές στο τέλος. Δε μπορώ να πω ότι τον συμπάθησα αυτόν εδώ, αλλά έχει αρκετό ενδιαφέρον, ιδέες και ευρήματα η ιστορία του.

[Cagliostro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ένα χάπι, μια φωτογραφία, ένας απολογισμός. Το παλάτι του μυαλού γεμάτο αναμνήσεις για τον ήρωα μιας ζωής «πλούσιας», όχι μόνο ποσοτικά (100 ετών) αλλά και ποιοτικά. Το πρώτο και συνάμα τελευταίο έργο ενός συγγραφέα καθώς, ενώ το άρχισε πρώτο στην συγγραφική του καριέρα, το ολοκλήρωσε τελευταίο. Η ροή της ζωής δείχνει αμείλικτη κα�� με κατεύθυνση προς την μοναξιά με μόνους συντρόφους να απομένουν οι εσωτερικές μας φωνές και μια εκδοχή- ισως, άλλοτε συνεπής και άλλοτε αληθινή ψευδαίσθηση- για το πώς κύλησε το παρελθόν μας. Και εδώ που τα λέμε ποτέ δεν θα μάθουμε στα αλήθεια ποια ήταν η αληθινή πορεία μας σε αυτόν τον κόσμο μια και δεν υπάρχει κανείς που αντικειμενικά θα μπορούσε να περιγράψει αυτήν. Ο Ραφαήλ Ιγνάτιος Φίνιξ ομολογεί και εγώ στοχάζομαι τον εαυτό μου ανήμπορο να κρίνει για την ενοχή του.😉

[Linda Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Goodness!!!...What a weird, wild and wonderful story. Loses one star because I didn't enjoy the ending but otherwise...what a blast!

[Patrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Usually I distrust these novels with wordy titles. They have a certain rhythm which you know when you see it; I’m sure some of them are well-intentioned, but many strike me as intended to catch the reader’s eye in a bookshop full of otherwise indistinguishable coloured spines. So when I picked this up in my local library, I thought this might be one of those. But then I flicked through the pages at random and thought the writing was rather good. Quite funny. A bit silly. A bit lewd. All things I like. So I took it home. And I enjoyed it very much.

I knew nothing about Paul Sussman beforehand, so I was surprised to discover that before the main text comes a foreword. In this, he is introduced, and it is explained to the reader that this book was not actually published in the author’s lifetime. Begun in the early years of his career, the manuscript was worked on over many years while he achieved some commercial and critical success with a series of four archaeological thrillers, and though it appears to have been finished, it was never considered for publication until after his recent sudden, tragic death. (It’s worth noting that because I am insufferable, and because I’d genuinely never heard of the author, I had to look all this up after reading the foreword just to check that it wasn’t some kind of tricksy literary joke. It is all true.)

The book opens with Raphael Phoenix approaching his hundredth birthday at the turn of the millennium. He tells the story in a narrative which he tells us he’s writing, but which reads more like a spoken story, and he tells us many things — but principally, he tells us about how he came to murder ten people over the course of a century. The style is a loose, rambling sort of picaresque, a little like the larger-than-life biography of a Casanova or a Joseph Andrews. It’s highly episodic, and deliberately so: in fact Phoenix goes to great lengths to describe how he is inscribing the tale as a long suicide note directly on the walls of his house.

Beginning near the end of his life in a retirement home, he tracks backwards through the 1900s; he fights in WWII, is briefly a movie star at the birth of Hollywood, and later a rock star in sixties London; but he also spends a great deal of time doing some of the most banal, pointless and soul-crushing work imaginable. Apparently he has an awful lot of sex, but has no real relationships beyond that which he shares with the mysterious Emily, a childhood friend who seems to turn up at the conclusion of each sequence. His ultimate intention is to swallow a poisoned pill at the moment he turns 100, a pill he has been carrying around with him for his entire life in anticipation of that moment.

I was really quite impressed by just how enjoyable this was to read. Our narrator is basically a horrible person, one who seizes every chance to leverage his current position for his own benefit, and who does some pretty dreadful things to the people around him for no reason at all. But as the lead character in a novel, he is marvellously entertaining; indeed, I found a Roald Dahl-esque pleasure here in the suffering he inflicts on the world. The whole thing is essentially absurd, a sort of cartoon adventure, and as a result I sometimes had the sense that it had been thrown together in a single great rush. It is a confection. I don’t know that it would bear up under much scrutiny. But why bother when reading can be such fun?

[Βασιλεία Παπαδημητρίου · Rating 5 out of 5]

Η εξωφρενική ομολογία του Ραφαήλ Ιγνάτιου Φίνιξ είναι ένα από τα πιο συγκλονιστικά καμουφλαρισμένα αριστουργήματα του σήμερα. Λίγο πριν από τα τελευταία του κεφαλαία ο αναγνώστης αν και ευχαριστημένος με την πλοκή και το χιούμορ νιώθει ότι κρατάει ένα ακόμα βιβλίο για να περάσει τον χρόνο του. Ο συγγραφέας όμως έχει επιλέξει τα καλύτερα κομμάτια της ιστορίας για το τέλος, δίνοντας έτσι μία εξήγηση για όλα όσα έχουν διαδραματιστεί. Ο ήρωας ζει στο παρελθόν. Και έτσι ο απολογισμός του δεν είναι τίποτα άλλο από έναν αντίστροφο απολογισμό των φόνων του, με δραματικό φιλάνε την ημέρα που γεννήθηκε όπου άθελα του έγινε η αιτία να πεθάνει η μαμά του. Αυτό το γεγονός από ψυχολογικής απόψεως είναι ένα γεγονός το οποίο τον στιγμάτισε και ως αποτέλεσμα ο ήρωας υποσυνείδητα βλέπει τον κόσμο μέσα από αυτό το τραγικό γεγονός. Δέκα χρόνια μετά, η δεύτερη από τις δυο γυναίκες που αληθινά αγάπησε, η Έμιλι πεθαίνει. Ο Ραφαήλ παρόλα αυτά δεν είναι σε θέση να το αποδεχτεί και έτσι πλάθει έναν εικονικό κόσμο όπου η παιδική του φίλη ζει ακόμα και βρίσκεται πάντα εκεί μετά από κάθε φόνο του. Οι φόνοι τώρα του Ραφαήλ οφείλονται στο γεγονός ότι ζει και ξαναζεί τον θάνατο προσπαθώντας να έρθει πιο κοντά του, ίσως ακόμα και να νιώσει ότι τον ελέγχει, για αυτό το Χάπι είναι ο καλύτερος του φίλος, γιατί και αυτό το ίδιο ελέγχει τον θάνατο.

Η φράση από το βιβλίο που θα είναι μόνιμος χαραγμένη στο μυαλό μου είναι η εξής «ο κόσμος μου τώρα είναι σταθερά στο παρελθόν», μία φράση τραγικά ειρωνική καθώς εύκολα καταλαβαίνει ο αναγνώστης πως ο ήρωας ανέκαθεν ζούσε στο παρελθόν.

Στις τελευταίες γραμμές ο ήρωας βλέπει πετώντας (συμβολισμός θανάτου τα φτερά) δυο παιδάκια, το αγοράκι με γαλάζια και το κοριτσάκι με πράσινα, όπως ακριβώς εκείνος και Έμιλι, απεικονίζοντας πως ακόμα και μετά τον θάνατο εκείνος βρίσκει την γαλήνη σε κάτι που το θυμίζει το παρελθόν.

Εξαιρετικό από όλες τις απόψεις!

[Nigel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't recall reading anything quite like this before and it would be hard to place it in most broad genres, Raphael Ignatius Phoenix (as he himself points out R I P) decides to commit suicide at the start of the new millennium. He starts a somewhat unusual "suicide note" which is written on the walls of his final residence and tells the story of a long life. The life is not only long but very varied with few fixed points or people in it. The book alternates between the story of his life and the writing of the story. I can understand those who would consider the book a little too long and certainly the tale of his writing of it genuinely felt a little over long to me. Some judicious editing might well have made for a rather sharper read and it may well be a marmite book with its lovers and those who do not "get it". However for me the acerbic wit and bone dry humour made for a very good read for me. I loved R I P's quirky, irrational and even malevolent character. It is hard to say exactly what it reminds me of however some if the lunatic wit almost feels like Spike Milligan's work, while the scheming, dry humour and poking fun at people & things seem to be out of a Ripping Yarns or Kinds Hearts & Coronets approach. Not a book I will forget in a hurry and one that frequently made me grin - a little shorter might have helped but I'm so glad I've been able to read it.

Disclosure: I received a review copy of this book from the publisher.

[Alexander Stamelos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Όταν το αγόρασα δεν είχα ιδέα τι θησαυρό κρατούσα στα χέρια μου ! Πραγματικά "βούτηξα" στον κόσμο του Ραφαήλ Ιγνάτιου Φίνιξ και το ταξίδι αποδείχτηκε υπέροχο ! Για όσους λένε ότι μοιάζει με τον "Εκατοντάχρονο" δεν ξέρουν τι τους γίνεται...πραγματικά καμία σχέση ! Ο τρόπος γραφής τόσο ξεκούραστος και τόσο ταξιδιάρικος ! Μπήκε ήδη στην λίστα με τα αγαπημένα μου βιβλία ! Το μόνο πράγμα που με στενοχώρησε είναι ο θάνατος του συγγραφέα του βιβλίου...πραγματικά κρίμα να φεύγουν από την ζωή τέτοιοι άνθρωποι, είμαι σίγουρος ότι θα είχε πάρα πολλά να δώσει αν είχε την τύχη να ζει !

ΥΓ: Πολύ πρόχειρη η έκδοση από τις Εκδόσεις Ψυχογιός με πάρα πολλά τυπογραφικά λάθη ! Ποιοτικό έλεγχο προτού εκδοθούν δεν περνάνε ?

[Elizabeth Grieve · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hmm ... after finishing this book I felt regret that I'd spent my time on it. I don't mind surreal, far-fetched stories, but the main character here was so utterly vile, and other characters were almost cartoon-like (with unnecessarily silly made-up names), that I kept hoping for something better to come along, some redeeming factor to explain things. However, that didn't happen. It was, for the most part, well written, but with a number of errors which really should have been picked up by an editor.

Reviewed in exchange for a preview ebook.

[Antonia Zaloni · Rating 4 out of 5]

Πολύ ιδιαίτερο ανάγνωσμα, με υποδόριο χιούμορ, αρκετές στιγμές γκροτεσκο, πασπαλισμενες με έντονες δόσεις υπερβολής.
Κοντά στην ολοκλήρωση του, όμως, δίνει ένα σύντομο ψυχογραφημα, που αιτιολογεί (ίσως και δικαιολογεί) κάποιες καταστάσεις και συμπεριφορές. Έρχεται, δε, σε πολύ καλά ζυγισμένο χρόνο μέσα στο μυθιστόρημα. Νομίζω κάπου εκεί είναι που με κέρδισε.
Δυστυχώς στην Ελλάδα δεν έτυχε της αποδοχής που θα του άξιζε.

Το λάτρεψα!!!

[Alexandra Alexandridou · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I started this book I thought that maybe I'm not going to like surrealism. At the end I was wrong. Paul Sussman is a talented writter and he has his own (magic?) way of making you enjoy each chapter. The end was amazing.

As I was reading through pages, the one thought that came to my mind was that "You must be a cleaver person to write (and think) something like this".

[Άγγελος Χαριάτης]

Λίγο πριν, λίγο μετά το 2015 εμφανίστηκε ένα νέο ρεύμα ηρώων στην παγκόσμια λογοτεχνική σκηνή. Δεν χρειαζόταν να είναι δυνατοί και νέοι, όμορφοι ή άσχημοι, ενθουσιώδεις ή θλιμμένοι. Αρκεί να τηρούσαν κάποια ελάχιστα κριτήρια. Άνω των ενενήντα ετών, πνευματώδεις, με άγνοια κινδύνου ―κυρίως λόγω της ηλικίας― και εφευρετικοί. Ξεκινώντας από το μυθιστόρημα Ο εκατοντάχρονος που πήδηξε από το παράθυρο και εξαφανίστηκε του Γιούνας Γιούνασον (εκδόσεις Ψυχογιός, μετάφραση Γρηγόρης Κονδύλης) μέχρι το πιο πρόσφατο Η λέσχη των φόνων της Πέμπτης του Ρίτσαρντ Όσμαν (εκδόσεις Ψυχογιός, μετάφραση Αύγουστος Κορτώ).

Η εξωφρενική ομολογία του Ραφαήλ Ιγνάτιου Φίνιξ του Πωλ Σασμάν (εκδόσεις Ψυχογιός, μετάφραση Κώστια Κοντολέων) ανήκει σ’ αυτήν ακριβώς την κατηγορία. Είναι ένα μυθιστόρημα που εγκιβωτίζει στοιχεία αστυνομικού, μυστηρίου και θρίλερ, χωρίς να λείπει μια ελάχιστη επίγευση υπαρξιακού. Είναι το πρώτο βιβλίο που είχε γράψει ο συγγραφέας πριν ασχοληθεί με τα μυθιστορήματα θρίλερ. Ταυτόχρονα και το τελευταίο που βρήκε τον δρόμο προς το τυπογραφείο, πριν τον ξαφνικό θάνατό του.

Ο κεντρικός ήρωας, ο Ραφαήλ Ιγνάτιος Φίνιξ (R.I.P. η λατινική συντομογραφία του ονόματός του) έχει αποφασίσει να πεθάνει την 1η Ιανουαρίου του 2000, γιορτάζοντας μ’ αυτόν τον τρόπο τα 100ά του γενέθλια, την αλλαγή της χιλιετηρίδας και εν τέλει τον θάνατό του. Υπό αυτό το πρίσμα αποφασίζει να αφήσει την ομολογία του. Γραμμένη στους τοίχους των δέκα δωματίων, όσοι κι οι φόνοι που έχει διαπράξει. Στον πύργο όπου ζει για χρόνια, ξεχασμένος από θεούς και ανθρώπους.

Ο συγγραφέας, χρησιμοποιώντας γραφή χωρίς λογοτεχνικά στολίδια, ξετυλίγει τον μύθο, διατρέχοντας τον αιώνα που μας πέρασε μέσα από τη ζωή του εκατοντάχρονου ήρωά του. Ταυτόχρονα, σε ένα δεύτερο επίπεδο, είναι μια αλληγορία για το πάθος, το λάθος και το μάθημα της ανθρωπότητας.




Πωλ Σασμάν



Χρησιμοποιεί στοιχεία μαγικού ρεαλισμού, με υποδόριο, σχεδόν βιτριολικό χιούμορ, καταφέρνοντας να στήσει μια ιστορία η οποία εμπεριέχει κομμάτια αγάπης και κατανόησης, κάνοντας τον αναγνώστη να ταυτιστεί με τον ήρωα, παρά τις απεχθείς πράξεις του. Κερδίζει κατά έναν τρόπο ένα από τα βασικά θέματα της λογοτεχνίας: τη συμπάθεια του αναγνώστη προς τον ήρωα.

Οι σελίδες γυρίζουν εύκολα, χαρίζοντας στον αναγνώστη ατόφια αναγνωστική απόλαυση, χωρίς εύκολους εντυπωσιασμούς. Αυτό είναι και το ζητούμενο, κατά τη γνώμη μου. Αν και ασφαλώς το κείμενο δεν εντάσσεται σε μια ανάγνωση που προβληματίζει με τη θεματική του, θέτοντας θεμελιώδη υπαρξιακά ερωτήματα.

Απορίας άξιο είναι το γεγονός ότι στα ελληνικά λογοτεχνικά δρώμενα το βιβλίο πέρασε στα ψιλά, χωρίς να του δοθεί η πρέπουσα προσοχή, που ασφαλώς δικαιωματικά του ανήκει.

[Keira · Rating 3 out of 5]

Firstly I would like to say that I am very proud of myself for making it through this book, not to say that it was bad because it was really good, but the chapters were approximately 40 minutes long which was brutal. I can however understand why they are so long as each event is grouped within a single chapter.
The story itself is very good. It’s unlike anything I’ve read before as the entire book is a suicide note that re-lives the life of Raphael.
Raphael is a very strange character, who almost seems psychopathic; however, I think a lot of this has to do with his early life and how he is treated by the people who surround him.
Emily is even stranger and although she is not psychopathic, homicidal or suicidal there is something about her that throughout the book never seems to be quite right, leaving the reader both a little confused and intrigued.
Obviously the story is quite depressing as this is a man who has decided to end his life; however, it is also very good. I am not sure if ‘enjoy’ is the correct word as it is a rather depressing story, but I very much liked reading it and would definitely recommend it as it is an incredibly cleverly written book.

[R.L. · Rating 4 out of 5]

English Review Below the Greek one.

Η εξωφρενική ομολογία του Ραφαήλ Ιγνάτιου Φίνιξ είναι ένα ευχάριστο ανάγνωσμα σε γενικές γραμμές.

Ο πρωταγωνιστής της ιστορίας μας μας συστήνεται μόλις λίγες μέρες πριν κλείσει τα 100 του χρόνια, την Πρωτοχρονιά του 2000. Μας διηγείται αυτές τις τελευταίες μέρες μέχρι τα γενέθλια του όταν και σκοπεύει να αυτοκτονήσει και παράλληλα την ιστορία της μακρόχρονης ζωής του.

Δεν συμφωνώ με την περιγραφή απο τον εκδοτικό οίκο που αφήνει να εννοηθεί οτι παρακολουθούμε μια ανασκόπηση του 20ου αιώνα μέσα απο την ιστορία του Ραφαήλ. Σαφώς και ο ήρωάς μας ζει μέσα στα πλαίσια της εκάστοτε εποχής, αλλα το βιβλίο είναι η δική του, προσωπική, ιδιαίτερη ιστορία.

Στα πρώτα κεφάλαια γνωρίζουμε τον πρωταγωνιστή μας, το περιβάλλον όπου ζει (ένα απομωνομένο, παλιό αστρονομικό παρατηρητήριο που αποκαλείται "Πύργος" σε όλη την αφήγηση) και μας γίνεται σαφής η απόφαση του να αυτοκτονήσει. Μας αφηγείται πως απέκτησε το Χάπι στα δέκατα γενέθλια του και πως σκοπεύει να το χρησιμοποιήσει για να πεθάνει όταν έρθει η ώρα. Βλέπουμε πως παίρνει την απόφαση να γράψει έναν απολογισμό της ζωής του και μάλιστα πάνω στους τοίχους του πύργου του αντί αυτοκτονικού σημειώματος...

Και πλέον η αφήγηση αποκτά συγκεκριμένο ρυθμό. Ο Ραφαήλ ξεκινά την αφήγηση του απο τα πιο πρόσφατα γεγονότα και προχωρά στα πίο περασμένα και προσπαθεί να χωρίσει την αφήγησή του και τον απολογισμό του ανα δωμάτιο του πύργου και παράλληλα ανα φόνο που διέπραξε, ο καθένας απο τους οποίους σηματοδοτεί και μια εντελώς διαφορετική περίοδο της ζωής του. Σημαντική παρουσία σε κάθε αλλαγή η παιδική του φίλη Έμιλυ, η οποία χάνεται για χρόνια μέχρι να εμφανιστεί ξανά κάθε φορά που ο Ραφαήλ φαίνεται να την έχει ανάγκη. Ταυτόχρονα ο ήρωάς μας μας αφηγείται τις τελευταίες του μερες στον πύργο, τις δυσκολίες που έχει το εγχείρημα του να γράψει τον απολογισμό του, πως αισθάνεται, κάποια περιστατικά που του συμβαίνουν.

Η ροή της αφήγησης επιβραδύνεται κάπως απο την αφήγηση του πρωταγωνιστή για το παρόν του, όταν η αφήγηση του παρελθόντος του είναι τόσο ενδιαφέρουσα, αλλά αυτό μάλλον εντείνει το "σασπένς" της υπόθεσης. Βρήκα την γραφή πολύ ευχάριστη και γέλασα πολλές φορές. Αν και το βιβλίο αναφέρεται σε φόνους, δεν είναι καθόλου βαρύ ενώ ο Ραφαήλ αν και δολοφόνος και όχι ο πιο συμπαθητικός άνθρωπος του κόσμου, σίγουρα είναι πολύ ενδιαφέρων χαρακτήρας.

Σε όλο το βιβλίο αναρωτιόμουν για τον χαρακτήρα της Έμιλυ και πως στο καλό ο συγγραφέας θα δώσει ένα τέλος ανάλογο με το υπόλοιπο βιβλίο. Ομολογώ ότι ένα σημείο της εικονογράφησης, που είναι όμορφη και στο εξώφυλλο και στο οπισθόφυλλο του βιβλίου, με έβαλε σε υποψίες. Δεν είμαι απόλυτα σίγουρη οτι το τέλος με ικανοποίησε, ούτε ωστόσο με απογοήτευσε. Οι ιστορίες και οι φόνοι του Ραφαήλ γίνονται όλο και πιο εξωφρενικοί όσο προχωράει το βιβλίο και πάμε πίσω χρονικά, ωστόσο όσο κι αν υπάρχουν πολλές περίεργες συμπτώσεις και κάποια περιστατικά τραβηγμένα απο τα μαλλιά, θα μπορούσαν να συμβούν. Στο πολύ τέλος πατάμε πλεόν σε άλλο είδος, μαγικό ρεαλισμό, φαντασία,ή όπως αλλιώς λέγεται. Αλλά σε τελική ανάλυση δεν ξέρω πως αλλιώς θα μπορούσε να τελειώσει το βιβλίο ή αν θα ήθελα και να τελειώσει αλλιώς. Και αφού το βιβλίο εκδόθηκε μετά τον θάνατο του συγγραφέα χωρίς να το έχει ετοιμάσει προς έκδοση, δεν μπορούμε να τον κατηγορήσουμε για κάτι.

Μια τελευταία παρατήρηση: Οι εκδόσεις Ψυχογιός δεν μας έχουν συνηθίσει σε τέτοια, βρήκα αρκετά τυπογραφικά λάθη στο βιβλίο. Γιατί;

Προτείνω την "εξωφρενική ομολογία του Ραφαήλ Ιγνάτιου Φίνιξ" σε όποιον θέλει να περάσει μερικές ευχάριστες ώρες με ένα χαλαρό ανάγνωσμα χωρίς να προβληματιστεί ιδιαίτερα ή να περιμένει ένα βιβλίο που θα τον βάλει σε σκέψεις. Βαθμολογία άνω του μετρίου για μένα.
______________________________________

Ι enjoyed this book. Its plot is rather unusual and while there are murders involved, it is a light-hearted novel. While Raphael is not the most likeable character, he appears to be a man of certain qualities and I found his adventures quite interesting. I do not agree with the blurb though,it sort of indicates we follow the history of 20th century through the eyes of our protagonist, while in reallity this is a very personal story that happens to take place in certain periods of time.

The narrative is easy going and develops on two paralel levels. One is the last days of Raphael's life, his efforts to write his personal life story, his thoughts and feelings and events of those few days. The other one is his actual life story which develops chapter by chapter backwards in time. The more we move back to time, the more exaggerated the story goes and the more crazy the murders are, but it makes an interesting read. Raphael's childhood friend, Emily is a key person to his life and quite mysterious and one keeps wondering what about her. While reading all this crazy story line, I did not stop wondering how the author would finish the book. One of the pictures on the outside of the book made me wondering somehow, but I'll not spoil it for others...

I have a problem with many books I read recently. I often find that the story telling and/or the story line is quite interesting but the end of the books often leaves a lot to be desired. I am not very sure how I feel about the end of this particular book. It was not too bad, but I am not sure if I really liked it either. While Raphael's life is quite imaginative and unusual with many weird coincidences and exaggerating circumstances, still in general it's something that could happen. At the very end of the story, the genre turns on what can be called magic realism or fantasy or anyhow something different than the style that defines rest of the book . Of course, the author had not complete the book and did not plan to publish it any time soon, but it was found, edited and published after his death, so we will never know if he could have change something and I can not blame him for this minor annoyance.

All in all this was a decent novel. If one needs a light, pleasant read without having huge expectations I definately recommend to give it a try.

[Marianna Sharktooth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Είναι ένα ευχάριστο βιβλίο, που όμως για μένα έχει δύο μειονεκτήματα: 1. αφήνει πολλά ερωτηματικά και ίσως στον αερα θα έλεγα την βασική σχέση του πρωταγωνιστή, ΚΑΙ 2. γίνεται φλύαρο και κουραστικό ώρες ώρες.
Σίγουρα δε μετανιώνω που το διάβασα και οφείλω να παραδεχτώ πως με έκανε να χαμογελάσω αρκετές φορές.

[Juliana · Rating 5 out of 5]

this really needs to be made into a movie

[Sarah Badman-flook · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lively, fast paced and you cannot help but fall for Raphael Ignatius Phoenix.

[Greek book-wanderer · Rating 2 out of 5]

There are times when we come across books and impulsively dive in to read them, only to realise that they were not what we expected. When I had seen The Final Testimony of Raphael Ignatius Phoenix in the library, I was intrigued by the blurb and I picked it up, expecting to read an interesting mystery with some philosophical aspects.

Oh boy, I couldn't be more wrong about this.

First and foremost, I want to clarify that I'm aware of the author's early death, before he published the book. I do not know how he would have written it had he not died therefore I will not direct my hate to him but the book. It's a pity he died so young and I send my condolences to his family.

So, the book starts in an intriguing way. We get a glimpse of his childhood with Emily and we get to see how he came to have the Pill. After that, Raphael starts to narrate his life but starting from the latest events and finishing with his birth. This is mentioned in the blurb and this is what got me intrigued in the first place.

From the very first pages it's pretty much established that our protagonist, Raphael Ignatius Phoenix, is not a good person. Not at all. And I'm all for morally grey or full vicious characters, I support people's rights but I can support their wrongs (or overlook them) if done right. But oh my god, Phoenix was just SO INSUFFERABLE.

There was absolutely no redeeming quality about him. He doesn't feel remorse about what he does, he takes pleasure in making people suffer and overall, he was really wicked. And I repeat, there's nothing wrong with characters who are pure evil. The problem is that Phoenix was written in a very sloppy and one dimensional way. The book at some points did not know if it should make the readers sympathise with him or not. Yes, he had his motives to kill all of these people but they do not justify his violence. It was the same thing over and over again: Phoenix meets someone, he kinda gets along with them (or not, doesn't really matter) and he tolerates them until he fully snaps and kills them.

There were some parts here and there that show glimpses of Phoenix's remorse and guilt but they were so briefly explored to the point they didn't add any substance. I really wish the book had dived deeper into this part of his character. Seeing him being haunted by his regrets and the ghosts of his victims would not only be very satisfying to read but it would add more to his character as well.

The problem is that the book did not know if Phoenix should be pure evil or not. By the end of the story, I cannot even tell you the purpose of Phoenix's character. Was I supposed to root for him? Hate him? Sympathise with him or at least understand his motives? Were they any hidden layers I was not aware of? So many questions and yet no answers. It's such a pity that Phoenix was so poorly written because I am actually a fun of evil characters, as long as they are written in a compelling way. The book should have decided either to fully commit to this concept or try to make him more sympathetic, instead of creating this messy blend.

Phoenix wouldn't have bothered me that much if the plot had been interesting enough. But it wasn't. The first pages had me hooked but to be completely honest, I realised early on that I wouldn't have a good time reading the book. The pace was painfully slow, I felt like I had aged 10 years every time I would finish one chapter. The fact that the chapters were pretty long in terms of length did nothing to cure my boredom.

Maybe it's my fault for not deciding to give up on the book. I have yet to DNF any of the books I've read and I was being hopeful that the plot would pick up. I read the first quarter and while I felt bored, there were some interesting aspects that pushed me to keep going. I reached the first half and while I had lost my interest, I was still half curious to discover more about Phoenix's story. I was in the last quarter and at this point, I had given up and continued to hope for at least an ending that would satisfy me. In psychology, we call that "gaslighting" and as you can see, I managed to gaslight myself into reading almost 500 pages of nothingness. Because that was pretty much the plot: nothing.

The initial premise of the book was so unique and interesting. Getting to read the testimony of someone who had been committing crimes throughout his life, only that we would observe his life from the most recent events to his birth sounded like an intriguing concept. But that's what it remained: a premise. Because in reality, the plot repeated itself over and over again: Phoenix describes his murder, once he's done he goes on a rant about how he has little room in the tower he lives in to write his suicide note or he just starts describing the rooms as if I'm interested in engineering and he moves on to the next murder.

Oh yes, I forgot to mention that the purpose of the story is to serve as Phoenix's suicide note. Phoenix wants to leave an everlasting impact and what better way to do so by torturing the reader with a monotonous autobiography? In almost every single chapter, I was the one who thought about committing suicide. It would be less painful than the reading experience, that's certain. I became a firmly supporter of Phoenix's plan to kill himself, at least he would put an end to the never ending torture of exposing us to his suicide note.

The plot became so ridiculous so I continued reading just to get a laugh at its ridiculousness. Do you know the phrase "I do not hate you, I pity you"? Well, in this case, I both hated and pitied the book. Hated it because of the way it was written while also pitying it because it could have become something better. There were so many baffling aspects, at one point Phoenix mentioned that he had had sex with Joan Crawford. Wow, thank you book, I definitely did not need to have that image stuck in my brain.

The mystery aspect was a nothingburger. There is a character, Emily who is connected to Phoenix and who knows him since they were children. She is basically a deus ex Machina, always there to save Phoenix after one of his murders and help him settle. I figured out what could possibly had happened with her pretty early on so I lost interest in her character very quickly. The part of the story which focused on her and Phoenix's childhood was quite interesting but it did nothing to change my opinion on their characters.

Also, I've seen that this book is described as a historical novel. B*tch, you better be joking. There were some mentions of historical events throughout the passage of years, sure, but that's hardly enough to make the book qualify as a historical novel.

The worst part is the ending. I had to sit through this book and tolerate the rambling of a serial killer for that? There was no satisfaction, no sadness, no happiness, literally nothing. As I have mentioned above, my hopes clung to the possibility of a well-though ending that would wrap the story but no. I couldn't even have that. I was so confused, angry and perplexed to the point I couldn't even feel sorry for myself.

This rant-review was very cathartic. I feel better after slandering the book. Once again, I feel for the author's loss and it's a pity he didn't get to complete the book himself but I'm judging the product not the creator.

[Juli Rahel · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first thing that drew me to this novel was its spectacular cover, but it was nothing compared to the curiosity that hit me when I read the first few lines of the synopsis. I knew I wanted to read it and skipped over the rest of the synopsis which I now consider a good thing because everything was a surprise.

There is something spectacularly absurd about this novel. Absurdist fiction explores human behaviour by placing the characters in circumstances that seem utterly without purpose and empty. Look at Waiting for Godot, a play in which two characters do nothing but wait, for both acts. There is no clear moral to Absurdist narratives, there seems to be no overarching theme, but rather there is just life and behaviour. Raphael's life, which is just one chapter after the other, one murder after the other, allows Sussman to show the reader a person who simply lives. He doesn't seem to really react to what happens, but rather he just acts while the world reacts around him. Partially this makes Raphael a very unlikable person because he seems to be so completely unnatural. It also makes him absolutely fascinating however because through him you're able to simply look at humans. There are a lot of amazing moments in this novel that are so incredibly human, in which people behave so naturally and everything they do is so recognizable. This allows for the novel to be an amazing read.

I really enjoyed reading this novel. It was a very quick read and a lot of fun. The narrative constantly draws you in with its high-pace story telling and beautiful writing style. Despite the potentially gruesome subject, the novel isn't too dark thanks to its humour. I would recommend it to fans of Vonnegut, but also more generally to fans of Absurdist fiction.


For full review: http://universeinwords.blogspot.co.uk...

[Fedra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Μπορεί ορισμένοι να το συγκρίνουν με το Ο εκατοντάχρονος που πήδηξε από το παράθυρο και εξαφανίστηκε. Κι εγώ πριν το διαβάσω αυτό είχα στο μυαλό μου. Ναι, μιλάνε και τα δυο για εκατοντάχρονους οι οποίοι εξιστορούν τον αιώνα ζωής και σίγουρα διαθέτουν και τα δυο βιβλία χιούμορ, αλλά πέρα από αυτό πρόκειται για κάτι εντελώς διαφορετικό.

Το βιβλίο του Πολ Σάσμαν ήταν αρκετά ευχάριστο, με γρήγορη πλοκή και έξυπνα δομημένο. Δε με κούρασε στιγμή καθώς διαθέτει επιπλέον ίχνη μυστηρίου και ειλικρίνειας.

Δεν κρύβει κάποιο "νόημα ζωής" και γενικά είναι σίγουρα ελαφρύ ανάγνωσμα, χωρίς αυτό να σημαίνει πως δεν αξίζει. Γεμάτο συναισθήματα, γέλασα δυνατά αρκετές φορές κι αν σας αρέσει αυτού του είδους η λογοτεχνία, σας το προτείνω ανεπιφύλακτα.

[Ивайло [IF Tomeff] · Rating 4 out of 5]

Колко предсмъртно може да бъде едно писмо? Колко убийства може да побере? Как така най-смешните пасажи водят след себе си най-тъжните такива? Колко отрова има в хапчето в джоба на пижамата?

Колко от себе си е посял авторът на този роман, публикуван посмъртно?