At Last There Is Nothing Left To Say [Paperback]

'At Last There Is Nothing Left To Say' is a collection of varied manifestos and short stories penned by Canadian musician (and now author) Matthew Good. The stories follow no direct path and wander all over the place, but always for the better and more thought-provoking. Good has an obvious talent for exposing the difficult, bitter truths in our everyday lives, and does so in the various stories throughout. And on top of that, many of the stories will actually make you laugh (and probably cry), if not from the story itself then from the grim reality of all that Good throws at you. From the thoughts of an opium-riddled traveller to the media's exploitation of a so-called 'miracle kid,' Good conveys tons of intelligent and quirky ideas within the 170+ pages of his book.

Be warned, though, that this isn't a read for everyone. While Matt does an excellent job of writing the book, you have to be kinda-sorta already initiated with his prior works (and by that I mean his amazing music). If you've never listened to a Matthew Good album or know nothing of Matt in general, then you'll probably be caught a bit off-guard with this particular piece of print. But for fans of Matt who haven't already read this, go crazy! I find it interesting that many of the things mentioned in 'At Last...' have now made it into Matt's actual song lyrics. It's kind of like a little bonus if you've read the book, and then hear the lyrics later on in a song. ("Hey! I know he means in that line!")

Overall, 'At Last There Is Nothing Left To Say' ranks as one of my favorite books ever. If only for the grim portrait of our day-and-age that Matt paints. I could go on and on praising this book, but I'll leave it up to you to read it and draw your own conclusions. That's the beauty of opinion, isn't it?

And with that, I'm out.

At Last There is Nothing Left to Say is not one solid, cohesive work, and it doesn't have a unifying central theme. Instead it makes a few statements on society, on the environment of the mind, and the dysfunctions of people. At Last There is Nothing Left to Say is an entertaining read that offers morbid and twisted insight into the minds of teenagers, rock stars, and sociopaths. And while it doesn't have all that much to say, it still manages to say alot.

Why do critics rate it so harshly? Well, I would assume because it is, without a doubt, possibly the most insane thing I've ever read. When you're reading stories about rabbits that live in your head, a girl drowning in Cherry Jell-O, unwillingly partaking in a kidnapping with a man named Slappy Mutt Mutt, and titles such as, "Porno Safari", "Some men get the world. Others get ex-hookers and a trip to Arizona", and "How Come There's Never Been a Weapon of Mass Destruction on a Wheaties Box?", you know you're dealing with something slightly off the deep end. However, it is my opinion that it is as brilliant as it is crazy. Each story, though often very abstract, and usually very disturbing, are very meaningful, filled with witty and sarcastic jabs at society. Very true jabs, I might add.

Needless to say this book isn't for everyone... It's for people who enjoy satire, abstract ideas, and random insanity. And, well, to be somewhat more general, it's for fans of the band (although even non-fans could enjoy it, I would imagine). If you're at all a fan of Matt Good, definately pick this up. If you're not, but enjoy this kinda thing, then it's probably worth it as well.