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On
Saturday, October 27, I was fortunate enough to be able to almost meet Lemony
Snicket. That's right. Almost.
You
see, for those who are unfamiliar, Lemony Snicket is the pen name of author
David Handler. He personifies Lemony Snicket as a man who is quite elusive,
and, although he is scheduled to attend many events such as book signings, usually
has an "unfortunate" circumstance that prevents him from attending.
I
was, and still am, an avid fan of A Series of Unfortunate Events, the first
series written by Lemony Snicket. I was thrilled to find out that he was
publishing a new book in the same vein. I was even more thrilled to find out
that he would be speaking at the Boston Book Festival held in Copley Square.
Lemony
Snicket, or should I say, his "representative" David Handler, is
quite a funny guy. The speech, which was the children's keynote speech for the
festival, got all of the audience members laughing. I was shocked to see so
many adults there! But his impeccable sense of comedic timing, and of course
his wonderful skills on a conveniently found accordion, made the speech
enjoyable for audiences of any age.
Afterwards,
he sold copies of his new book, Who Could That Be at This Hour? I was fortunate enough to snag a copy and get it signed. He
inscribed "With all due respect", and with an entirely open mind, I
began to read.
I
found myself immersed in this story in a similar fashion as I had been for the
Series of Unfortunate Events. There's still that sense of melancholy mystery
that pervades the setting of the story throughout. However, one of the most
interesting things about this book is that it's written in "first
person" through the eyes of Lemony Snicket himself. This is a tale of
Snicket's from when he was a "young man", which for him means around
thirteen.
Of
course, the story is filled with intrigue, unanswered questions, and
characteristic Snicket tangents, in which he relates what he's talking about to
the ordinary mundane things in life. The most sensible of the characters within
the story are children, all of which are around the age of thirteen. And most of
the adults, interestingly, are seen as foolish in some way.
The
story begins when Snicket leaves his parents behind at a tea shop. After
receiving a mysterious note that fell into his lap, he manages to escape out of
the bathroom window using a conveniently placed ladder to find his chaperone,
or mentor, S. Theodora Markson waiting for him in a green roadster. Through a
series of complicated and unusual events, Snicket manages to get himself
wrapped up in several mysteries surrounding the town of Stain'd-by-the-Sea, a
place he did not expect to be going, with a chaperone who is ranked 52 out of
52 possible chaperones. As the story continues, I found myself becoming more
and more curious as to the unusual circumstances surrounding Snicket. On the
surface, nothing seemed to be wrong, but by the end, I was wishing the next
book was in my hands.
Snicket’s,
or rather Handler's, writing style is unlike any other that I've read, and I
can't wait to continue reading this series, All the Wrong Questions,
of which Who Could That Be At This Hour? is the first book.
Although this may be a children's book, the child (and the adult) within us all
will absolutely adore it!
By Natalie Hamil
