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Post-Bliss
Post-Bliss is the debut novella of Irish writer Jay Honeycomb. This gender-neutral, postmodernist book uses fragments of prose, scripts excerpts, movie reviews, and magazine articles to detail the life of actor Ehf Eliya.
Ehf, an actor who experiences a fall from grace, relocates to a small mountain town to find peace of mind. However, Eliya soon becomes involved with a local group of holistic practitioners, and finds themself in a world of alternative acupressure, experimental biotech, and clinical trials.
Ehf, an actor who experiences a fall from grace, relocates to a small mountain town to find peace of mind. However, Eliya soon becomes involved with a local group of holistic practitioners, and finds themself in a world of alternative acupressure, experimental biotech, and clinical trials.
140 pages, Paperback
Published June 1, 2022
3 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
June 2, 2022
Jay Honeycomb's Post-Bliss is a wonderfully clever piece of postmodernist fiction. As the reader follows the experience of Ehf, a Hollywood movie star, they are prompted to consider and then re-consider how the real, surreal and the subconscious fluctuate between tangibility and something wholly imagined.
Written in entirely gender neutral terms, Honeycomb's work is a glimpse into fiction unreliant on pronouns for characterisation. The characterisation lies exactly where it should — in the dialogue, the actions and the choices of the characters. It is a beautiful treatment of humanity in this way, as gender is removed, and utterly refreshing. Honeycomb's choice to do this also enhances our understanding of Ehf and the wild experiences they undergo.
Epistolary in part, Post-Bliss moves seamlessly between prose, script excerpts and reviews of work Ehf has starred in. This structural choice creates and develops a world around Ehf and around the reader. Honeycomb's ability to control their reader's experience is sublime and this will not be appreciated until the very end. And I am not here to spoil it.
All I can say is this — the resolution is achieved so intelligently I smiled, laughed and could not help but appreciate the sheer talent behind how Honeycomb constructed the entire novella. It is very, very clever and not obnoxiously so. I urge you to read it and to stick with it. Even when Ehf is 'treated' with acupressure that makes you physically cringe or when Ehf begins a clinical trial. Stay with Honeycomb even at the most surreal and you will rewarded.
Post-Bliss is sharp and superb fiction, a credit to Honeycomb's craft.
Written in entirely gender neutral terms, Honeycomb's work is a glimpse into fiction unreliant on pronouns for characterisation. The characterisation lies exactly where it should — in the dialogue, the actions and the choices of the characters. It is a beautiful treatment of humanity in this way, as gender is removed, and utterly refreshing. Honeycomb's choice to do this also enhances our understanding of Ehf and the wild experiences they undergo.
Epistolary in part, Post-Bliss moves seamlessly between prose, script excerpts and reviews of work Ehf has starred in. This structural choice creates and develops a world around Ehf and around the reader. Honeycomb's ability to control their reader's experience is sublime and this will not be appreciated until the very end. And I am not here to spoil it.
All I can say is this — the resolution is achieved so intelligently I smiled, laughed and could not help but appreciate the sheer talent behind how Honeycomb constructed the entire novella. It is very, very clever and not obnoxiously so. I urge you to read it and to stick with it. Even when Ehf is 'treated' with acupressure that makes you physically cringe or when Ehf begins a clinical trial. Stay with Honeycomb even at the most surreal and you will rewarded.
Post-Bliss is sharp and superb fiction, a credit to Honeycomb's craft.
July 19, 2022
Ehf Eliya is in a bit of a rut. After a series of unfortunate movies with bad reviews, the actor has dropped their career and started living in solitude. One night, obnoxiously loud neighbors keep Ehf awake, they feel they have no choice but to walk to the convenience store to buy paracetamol for their growing headache. There they meet Marvin who introduces them to homeopathy and helps Ehf relieve their headache. Marvin persuades Ehf to dive into the world of homeopathic remedies. Ehf falls into one hole after another looking to relieve their suffering. Partaking in horrifying acupuncture and clinical trials for a newly tested pharmaceutical drug. Post-Bliss takes readers on a compelling journey of self-discovery and growth. Jay Honeycomb shows the darker side of reckless, impulsive medical decisions.
Honeycomb’s writing is excellent. It is clear and concise, which makes reading this book enjoyable and leaves the reader to immerse themselves in the fascinating plot. The structure of Honeycomb’s story is a bit unorthodox. An overlapping sequence of events that only happens in Ehf’s head, which makes it hard for readers to know what’s real and what’s not. I heartily enjoyed this story, but I would have liked to have had a more definitive ending because the ending we are given is a bit vague, but this could also be intentional.
I can’t tell if the story as a whole was a movie in the making or based on Ehf’s experiences, and this ambiguity leaves things open for interpretation. Honeycomb’s story reads like a role-playing game. I feel that if the book had a visual aspect, there would be a directory at the bottom of the screen instructing the reader on where they must go next to find out what happens to Ehf. This is a very interesting and engaging writing style. It’s like nothing the main character does is by choice or happenstance, like a guiding hand of destiny is pulling Ehf along, like a puppet on strings. As though every event that happens in the book revolves around Ehf instead of happening to them. The use of singular pronouns makes this one of the few stories that tries to be inclusive to a new generation of people, which is wonderful to see.
Post-Bliss must have been a challenge for the author, trying to keep the tone gender-neutral and I think they did an amazing job. I love the writing and the “it’s not what you expected” aspect. This is a fascinating story with sharp writing that elevates this already intriguing book into something that feels fresh and artistic.
Honeycomb’s writing is excellent. It is clear and concise, which makes reading this book enjoyable and leaves the reader to immerse themselves in the fascinating plot. The structure of Honeycomb’s story is a bit unorthodox. An overlapping sequence of events that only happens in Ehf’s head, which makes it hard for readers to know what’s real and what’s not. I heartily enjoyed this story, but I would have liked to have had a more definitive ending because the ending we are given is a bit vague, but this could also be intentional.
I can’t tell if the story as a whole was a movie in the making or based on Ehf’s experiences, and this ambiguity leaves things open for interpretation. Honeycomb’s story reads like a role-playing game. I feel that if the book had a visual aspect, there would be a directory at the bottom of the screen instructing the reader on where they must go next to find out what happens to Ehf. This is a very interesting and engaging writing style. It’s like nothing the main character does is by choice or happenstance, like a guiding hand of destiny is pulling Ehf along, like a puppet on strings. As though every event that happens in the book revolves around Ehf instead of happening to them. The use of singular pronouns makes this one of the few stories that tries to be inclusive to a new generation of people, which is wonderful to see.
Post-Bliss must have been a challenge for the author, trying to keep the tone gender-neutral and I think they did an amazing job. I love the writing and the “it’s not what you expected” aspect. This is a fascinating story with sharp writing that elevates this already intriguing book into something that feels fresh and artistic.
June 15, 2022
Weird but good.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews