Helpful Score: 1
Chuck Palahnluk's Tell-All is a book that should be read for form instead of substance. Most of the plot is laid out in the blurb: Hazie Coogan narrates a tale of how Katherine "Miss Kathie" Kenton, an aging Hollywood legend with the stereotypical multiple marriages, career comebacks, cosmetic surgeries, and dysfunctional habits, has met a suitor with the intent of publishing a tell-all autobiography upon her death. Indeed, his story is already written, including her death scene. The story is formatted as a pseudo-script, with Acts and Scenes instead of chapters, and directions for how this looks on screen. Every name-dropped is in bold, which may become annoying after a while. Those who enjoy Palahniluk's subversive humor will enjoy the play on this genre, but others may find unsympathetic characters in a start-and-stop plot with lots of repetition.
