Suicide Supper Club
by Rhett DeVane
Genre: Mainstream contemporary fiction
Word count: 86,300
In the Deep South, the grinding summer heat is enough to make people stupid. Four small town Southern women—each with distinct reasons to consider her life total crap—band together to forge “the easy way out.” But life has a way of turning out opposite of misdirected plans.
Abby has no husband, no children, no living kin, and a painful family secret. Loiscell is a two-time breast cancer survivor facing recurrence with dwindling faith and courage. Sheila is a meek abused wife hiding behind a religious, volunteer-queen veneer. Estranged from her only child, Caroline “Choo-choo” Ivey desperately misses her late husband.
As the relentless summer heat continues, conditions deteriorate for the women. Initially in jest, they propose group suicide: a nice meal, followed by a quick death courtesy of a paid assassin. Choo-choo offers to pay, and Sheila figures a way to enlist her husband to acquire a contact name. Then plans go haywire.
The Suicide Supper Club was a finalist in the 2012 Florida Writers Association RPLA contest. The Suicide Supper Club tackles tough subjects—abuse, cancer, aging—but with humor. In the South, humor is as essential as breathing and often filters life’s harsh realities.
This book is available from Amazon.
Rhett, how did you come up with the title for your book? Does it have any special meaning?
The Suicide Supper Club, the “SSC,” is the private passcode the four women coin for their bizarre end-of-life plan: a fine Italian meal, some wine, a decadent dessert, then death at the hand of a hired assassin.
Who was your favorite character and why?
Every small town has that one individual, usually a woman, who keeps up with the secrets, the private liaisons, the deaths, and the births. Elvina Houston is that person in Suicide Supper Club. I love Elvina for her spunk, her nosy disposition, and the deep-seated concern behind her meddling behavior.
Does your book have any underlying theme, message, or moral?
Simply: life is a gift. No matter how dire, there are always options. Given time and careful consideration, many, if not all, situations will resolve.
What would/could a reader or reviewer say about this book that shows they “get” you as an author?
I can successfully blend pathos with humor. Even the most serious subjects showcase our often absurd human foibles, and how very connected we are.
Give us an excerpted quote from your favorite review of this book:
This quoted material is from fellow author Malcolm Campbell, on the book’s amazon page:
“Suicide and humor are usually mutually exclusive worlds. But they seamlessly merge through DeVane’s inventive plot, fully realized characters, knowledge of Southern life and customs, and sense of place.” Malcolm R. Campbell
Where can people learn more about your writing?
My author website: www.rhettdevane.com
I really enjoyed this book and its Florida Panhandle setting.