Be drawn in by the dilapidated charm and nostalgia of The Paradise cinema, just like Holly who, desperate to fit in, becomes part of the chaotic group of misfits who work there. Drug use, lust and fear cloud the hallucinatory gory episodes that haunt her as both the cinema and relationships crumble. Strange, gothic and surreal yet with a sting of harsh reality, this book threaded with film references is a cinematic and visual read.
Sally told me that the son of the original owner was a young man who developed a taste for French film while serving abroad in the Second World War, and who had brought his continental taste home. He was the one who built the bar, and imported champagne and French wine and brandy to fill it. He killed himself, the same year Au hasard Balthazar came out, shooting himself in the projection room using a rifle from the war. Sally told me that the projectionist who found him was in such a state of shock, he just sat down and projected the next film, the dead owner lying on the floor beside him, the room splattered in blood. It wasn’t till the evening of that day that he came to and called the police. ‘All very tragic,’ Sally said, without emotion. She had a bit of ketchup on her cheek.
