Jennifer Lynch (1) (1968–)

Oh, Jennifer Lynch.

It bears repeating: Oh, Jennifer Lynch.

The Secret Diary of Laura Palmer is at turns wonderful and hilarious. As a hardcore Twin Peaks nerd, of course I love it. The book tells us what the series could only ever imply: that Laura was not just a rape survivor (er... former survivor), but a girl who had been consistenly abused since childhood.

(Obviously, if you haven't seen Twin Peaks, don't read on)

This is an utterly bizarre book, as befits the life of a girl from this peculiar town. At times, we get insight into the heartbreaking downward spiral of Laura Palmer, and the terror of her existence, not to mention the most wonderful moments which are those peaks into the mundanity that comes from being an old hand at this lifestyle. Sometimes, she just genuinely is bored with these men, and these drugs, and reverts to a robotic, childlike state.

The other side of this book is one of purple prose, and needlessly erotic encounters between Laura and seemingly every member of the town (*coughBlackiecough*). The book also does nothing to dispel the series' biggest question: how in the name of BOB did Laura manage to become homecoming queen, tutor residents in English, serve meals to the elderly, mentor a mentally handicapped man, and attend eight hours of school a day, even as she juggled two serious boyfriends, a half-dozen extra men, run cocaine, and still have time to jet off to far-flung parts of the state for threesomes with Teresa Banks?

I love this book both because and in spite of the flaws in Lynch's writing style. After all, David Lynch is nothing if not a melodramatist, he just submerges this below layers of unsettling suburban paranoia and tracking-shots of phone cords. But would I recommend this to anyone who doesn't know the series, and like it? Absolutely not.… (more)