Two new Poison For Breakfast synopses

[Dante]

In concrete evidence that things are finally moving on the Poison for Breakfast front, today I dug up a couple of new (though rather similar) synopses for the book, which tell us a little more about the story and what to expect:

<o>
Has Lemony Snicket been poisoned? A standalone novel for all ages -- a contemporary fable in the great tradition of The Little Prince and Sophie's World -- by one of the twenty-first century's most beloved authors.

For more than twenty years, Lemony Snicket has been one of the most famous narrators in contemporary middle-grade fiction, leading millions of readers through a mysterious literary world of bewildering questions and unfortunate events. Now, with this latest book -- a love letter to readers and reading, and a meditation on the vagaries of real life -- longtime fans and new readers alike have an opportunity to experience Snicket's distinctive voice in a new way.
This true story -- as true as Lemony Snicket himself -- begins with a puzzling note under his door: "You had poison for breakfast." Following a winding trail of clues to solve the mystery of his own demise, Snicket takes us on a thought-provoking tour of his predilections: the proper way to prepare an egg, a perplexing idea called "tzimtzum," the sublime pleasure of swimming in open water, and much else.
Poison for Breakfast is a classic-in-the-making that -- in the great tradition of modern fables like The Little Prince and The Phantom Tollbooth -- will delight readers of all ages.
<o>
-Google Books

<o>
Has Lemony Snicket been poisoned? A standalone novel for all ages -- a contemporary fable in the great tradition of The Little Prince and Sophie's World -- by one of the twenty-first century's most beloved authors.

The greatest mystery of Lemony Snicket's life may be his own death.

Lemony Snicket begins his morning the same way every day: with a breakfast of tea with honey, a piece of toast with cheese, one sliced pear, and an egg perfectly prepared. But one morning, after finishing his meal, he finds a note on a slip of paper under his door: You had poison for breakfast. With that, one of the most famous narrators in contemporary middle-grade fiction (and chronicler of other people's mysteries) finds himself in a race against the clock to solve the mystery of his own demise. Along the way, he takes readers on a delightful journey of philosophy, literature, art, love, life, death and other bewildering subjects. Appropriate for young readers, formerly young readers, and adults who are young at heart, Poison for Breakfast is a classic in the making, an entertaining but profoundly moving book that will stir the hearts of young and old alike.
<o>
-Goodreads

[R.]

Who put these up? It almost seems like Daniel Handler himself put these up, he’s the only person who could know this. Unless this is you kidding around, Dante .

[Hermes]

My first reaction is 'in what universe do The Little Prince and Sophie's World belong to the same tradition?'. I meant, they are both philosophical works, but so is a lot of fiction.

Also, 'his own demise' sounds rather as if he does actually die, which would make this an unusual story (though not unknown - there are several books written by dead people, The Third Policeman perhaps being the most famous).

[Optimism is my Phil-osophy]

I have suspected for some time that Lemony Snicket died before the publication of TE, or before the publication of ATWQ. (Considering that the publication of TE and ATWQ happened some time after the books were written.) That would be interesting ... A confirmation of a theory of mine ... And the explanation for secret 13, which would be really shocking. That would also be the end of Lemony Snicket, an epic conclusion for a character that I think Daniel Handler no longer has much affection for. It would be like the last case of Poirot by Agatha Christie. And it would also be an opportunity for DH to talk about poetry and philosophy to young minds, which is what I think he likes to do. Although I would very much like a book of short stories like FU: 13. I really liked that type of writing for Lemony Snicket, I would really show more of that. (How I would like a book like that every year). The question is, are we going to have an adult or teen Lemony Snicket? I would also prefer to read more about teenage Lemony, although in this case we would already know the end from the beginning ...

[misstastrophe]

I saw the Google review the other day while looking for the style guide & figured it was old news. Is there a chance these could have been given out prior to the original planned release date a couple years ago and are now being uploaded?

[Hermes]

The older publicity, though, suggested that L was trying to save his life, while now it looks as if he is just solving the mystery of his death.

This keads me to wonder how old he is in this story. I had assumed that it was set during his youth, probably while he was still Middle Grade, since the 'protgaonist's age' rule for young people's fiction is now so well established. But if he dies in it, it must be set later in life, since he was certainly not dead at the time of ASOUE. Was this part of the reason his publishers' thought it 'too adult'. (In the olden days, of course, it was fine for children's books to be about adults. The Hobbit, The Wind in the Willows, The Rose and the Ring, Once on a Time, The Thirteen Clocks, even something as recent as Howl's Moving Castle. But now the accepted wisdom is that you can't do that.)

[Marlowe]

Lol, doesn't Snicket hate The Little Prince?

I'm excited, but this sounds more like something in the vein of Horseradish than an ATWQ-style adventure.

[Skelly Craig]

Indeed:

I was in my favorite seat in the library, but it wasn’t helping me like the book any better. It was a book people kept putting in my hands and telling me I was going to love, the way the doctor tells you the needle won’t hurt a bit. The book began the way it always began before I gave up on it: with a man carrying around a drawing of a snake that had just eaten, and asking people what they thought of it. I thought it was no way to start up a conversation.

- File Under: 13 Suspicious Incidents, Files 1-6

And this tweet (in context).

[Dante]

Dec 13, 2020 11:37:10 GMT -5 misstastrophe said:

I saw the Google review the other day while looking for the style guide & figured it was old news. Is there a chance these could have been given out prior to the original planned release date a couple years ago and are now being uploaded?

That strikes me as unlikely. We now know that there's actual movement on getting the book published, and in my experience retailer sites and things like this are more likely to push the button early rather than to let things sit around in their system for years until the publisher finally remembers the book exists and gives the okay. Little, Brown & Co. just finally got around to promoting the book again.

Dec 13, 2020 15:10:59 GMT -5 Marlowe said:

Lol, doesn't Snicket hate The Little Prince?

I'm excited, but this sounds more like something in the vein of Horseradish than an ATWQ-style adventure.

Quite right; how amusing. But I think the Horseradish comparison strikes me as a little unfair; there's no indication that this will be anything but a narrative. I could see it being one with very limited allusion to the overarching continuity, though - which I think Jean Lucio may be correct in thinking Handler doesn't see as particularly important. With that said, I don't seriously anticipate Snicket's death from this; I see it as more likely that he'll revisit the note, turn it over, and realise it was simply a leaflet from a health food group...

[bear]

i assume marlowe means the horseradish introduction, which is also a "modern fable." and, IMO, one of the best things DH has written......

[catastrophist]

This is a great find and truly exciting news. This book has been a Snicket fan's white whale for a while now and it's thrilling to spot a little more of it visible above the water. Daniel started writing this book during the writers room for Season Two of the Netflix series, and the way he spoke of it back then alluded to something more philosophical, which is certainly reflected in the copy here. I think ATWQ showed us that post-ASOUE Snicket books aren't likely to be overly concerned with continuity (though I'd still expect some oblique references here and there). And while I hope it won't be the last Snicket book, everything we know so far makes it seem like it's going to be something special. I'm excited to read it, and to read it with the people on here.

As Marlowe mentioned, Lemony's (and DH's) on-the-record distaste for The Little Prince makes the publisher's copy fairly ironic -- but what would Lemony Snicket book copy be without irony? (I'm more intrigued by the Phantom Tollbooth comparison myself.)

[Christmas Chief]

Great news!

Are Sophie's World, The Little Prince, and The Phantom Tollbooth more successful / popular than ASOUE itself? I guess the point with the title dropping is to attract readers beyond the ASOUE audience.

Edit: The Little Prince has sold about three times as many copies as ASOUE worldwide (ASOUE = 60 million, Little Prince = 200 million). Sophie's World and The Phantom Tollbooth have sold less (15 million and 4 million), though they are individual novels rather than series. I couldn't find sales numbers for just TBB, or whichever the most commercially successful ASOUE book was.

I suspect the "demise" / "death" parts are just confusingly worded, or maybe worded to create suspense for readers unfamiliar with the universe. Otherwise, the book would have to be written for young readers with an adult protagonist (unlikely given genre conventions) or written for adult readers (very unlikely given the description) or violate a major premise of ASOUE (unlikely given the description).

[Dante]

Dec 13, 2020 17:53:49 GMT -5 bear said:

i assume marlowe means the horseradish introduction, which is also a "modern fable." and, IMO, one of the best things DH has written......

That is a reasonable possibility and a reasonable statement, though admittedly not what first comes to mind when recalling that book.

Dec 13, 2020 23:44:29 GMT -5 Christmas Chief said:

Edit: The Little Prince has sold about three times as many copies as ASOUE worldwide (ASOUE = 60 million, Little Prince = 200 million). Sophie's World and The Phantom Tollbooth have sold less (15 million and 4 million), though they are individual novels rather than series. I couldn't find sales numbers for just TBB, or whichever the most commercially successful ASOUE book was.

The End was trumpeted for having a million-copy first printing, which gives the impression that for any book to sell up to or more than that is rather a proud distinction. The Phantom Tollbooth also has the distinction of being alluded to within ASoUE itself - or so "Doldrums Drive" is often interpreted (though it may be a coincidence).

I suspect the "demise" / "death" parts are just confusingly worded, or maybe worded to create suspense for readers unfamiliar with the universe. Otherwise, the book would have to be written for young readers with an adult protagonist (unlikely given genre conventions) or written for adult readers (very unlikely given the description) or violate a major premise of ASOUE (unlikely given the description).

I would agree that it seems reasonable to interpret Snicket's foretold "death" or "demise" as merely one anticipated by him as he undertakes his investigation. Whether or not it comes to pass is, of course, yet to be determined, but it is possible that using adult Snicket as the protagonist in a children's book might be one of the elements which raised eyebrows with the publisher.

[Optimism is my Phil-osophy]

Dec 13, 2020 19:30:55 GMT -5 catastrophist said:

This is a great find and truly exciting news. This book has been a Snicket fan's white whale for a while now and it's thrilling to spot a little more of it visible above the water. Daniel started writing this book during the writers room for Season Two of the Netflix series, and the way he spoke of it back then alluded to something more philosophical, which is certainly reflected in the copy here. I think ATWQ showed us that post-ASOUE Snicket books aren't likely to be overly concerned with continuity (though I'd still expect some oblique references here and there). And while I hope it won't be the last Snicket book, everything we know so far makes it seem like it's going to be something special. I'm excited to read it, and to read it with the people on here.

As Marlowe mentioned, Lemony's (and DH's) on-the-record distaste for The Little Prince makes the publisher's copy fairly ironic -- but what would Lemony Snicket book copy be without irony? (I'm more intrigued by the Phantom Tollbooth comparison myself.)

Of course, he can't just say "this is a philosophical book that talks about the meaning of life and death", because, as he said that, no one would want to read about it. But if you say, "This is a book about how a detective falsely accused of being an arsonist investigates his own murder within an anachronistic universe that satirizes fairy tales" everyone will be interested.

[Marlowe]

Could a moderator perhaps merge this with the other Poison for Breakfast thread, so as to have a single organized place for all news related to the book?

Dec 14, 2020 12:28:30 GMT -5 Dante said:

That is a reasonable possibility and a reasonable statement, though admittedly not what first comes to mind when recalling that book.

I referred to Horseradish more in the sense that PfB seems to be forgoing a more conventional narrative in favour of philosophical monologues (perhaps not unlike the various asides in AsoUE). PfB doesn't sound quite as weird as the Horseradish introduction - though Handler should really write more dark, non-Averse standalone stories like that under the Snicket name.