“Rarely in life does one occasion upon irrevocable proof of a higher power. But sometimes a coincidence stretched not just the bounds of credulity, but possibility,” (Malla 15).
After surviving a plane crash, an unnamed narrator and another survivor, K. Sohail, find themselves stranded on an island anything but deserted. Holding a Wellness Couples retreat, our narrator and K. Sohail are mistaken for the Dhaliwals, who have probably been killed in a helicopter crash. Taking their identities, the new Dhaliwals are welcomed by a robot named Jerome, learn about the subject of Trunity by the unfamous Brad Beard, and have sessions of erotic counselling with Professor Sayer. But this seemingly idyllic paradise is not what it seems, and K. Sohail at least is determined to find out what is happening while our narrator cheers her on.
I’ve heard a lot of good things about Pasha Malla but All You Can Kill is the first book I’ve read of his and let me tell you it was a wild, but enjoyable, ride!
This is a hard book to review because of it’s strangeness and a lot happens in it’s 220 pages, and truthfully I didn’t understand all of it. But that’s what makes a good book to discuss, right? I love weird fiction, I love surrealism, and All You Can Kill checks all the boxes. Malla pokes fun at a number of topics in this book: wellness culture, toxic masculinity shown through a macho self-help guru, and internet culture.
Filled with many hyperbolic characters aside from K. Sohail, whom I loved, it’s best for readers to take a page from our unnamed narrator and gleefully accept the strange things as they come in the story instead of trying to logically work it out. Half the fun is listening to Brad Beard’s lectures on Trunity, or participating in Dr. Sayer’s intimate couple counselling complete with roleplay, probably one of the funniest scenes in the book. But behind the zaniness lies some truly horrific scenes that I couldn’t have predicted.
It’s hard to say more in such a strange book, but if you’re into weird books or want to choose something that is sure to get your book club talking, read All You Can Kill!
Publication: October 8 2024
Publisher: Coach House Books
Pages: 220 pages (Paperback)
Source: Library
Genre: Fiction, Surreal, Canadian, Literary
My Rating: ⛤⛤⛤⛤
Summary:
Our narrator and his accidental companion, K. Sohail, inadvertently find themselves on an island wellness retreat impersonating a couple, the Dhaliwals, who have probably been killed in a helicopter crash. After being welcomed by Jerome the robot, the new Dhaliwals eagerly partake of the all-you-stomach buffet, the motivational speechifyings on Trunity by the berobed Brad Beard, and some erotic counselling by Professor Sayer.
But things quickly take an ominous turn when an excursion to a nearby deserted village reveals a guillotine and a haunted chapel. And then one of the retreaters is murdered and the real Dhaliwals show up. Accusations, counter-accusations, and counter-counter-accusations are made, until the whole retreat is caught up in a bizarre trial.
Sarah O'Connor 