I am astounded.

I couldn’t believe my luck when I saw I had been approved to read an ARC of Lemony Snicket’s new book, and my high expectations were certainly met. I haven’t read any of his works since I was a child with his delightfully bizarre A Series of Unfortunate Events, but falling back into his meandering narrative was somehow soothing and enthralling all at once.

The novel is definitely a side-step from his previous work, and perhaps not quite what most readers might be expecting when they first see Snicket’s name on the cover, but I think any readers who previously appreciated his witty, sardonic tone, or my new readers who appreciate philosophy, will equally enjoy this book.

Something about Snicket’s narrative and the way her perceives the world is baffling and eye-opening at the same time, and though I can imagine he may be one of those ‘marmite’ authors, this volume was a delight and a privilege. Thank you very much to NetGalley and OneWorld Publications!

Genre: Is Lemony Snicket a Genre?

Release Date: Expected 2nd September 2021

Publisher: Oneworld Publications | Rock The Boat


It all starts with breakfast; tea with honey, toast with cheese, a sliced pear, an egg.

After breakfast, Mr Snicket finds a lone scrap of paper informing him he'd had poison for breakfast. But rather than patiently waiting for his demise, he decides to investigate where this unwanted ingredient could have come from and sets off to track down some tea and honey ...

In that trademark Lemony Snicket style, which is almost a genre of its own at this point, Poison for Breakfast, is a delightfully absurd story for curious readers of any age. Full of the trademark expressions and prose I've come to love and expect, a strangely familiar sense of foreboding and a unique twist, this didn't fail to live up the reputation of Mr Snicket.

A quick read, this was the perfect length. Especially seeing as instead of a story, per se, this is more like a long string of thoughts being told haphazardly to the reader, feeling totally incoherent and making perfect sense at the same time. There is no dramatic climax or shock reveal to wait for, just a steady stream to follow to the end until the story drifts off into the distance.

During our authors journey to find out why he has been poisoned, he thinks about life, about death, about strangers, friends and enemies and about the wonder of simply existing. Raising questions about morals and philosophy, and making some excellent insight into how completely strange it is to be a writer of all things.

Poison for Breakfast was thirteen chapters of sublimity - a word which here means being wickedly clever, surreal and so very fun.

GENRE: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thank you to Lemony Snicket, Oneworld Publications and Netgalley for this ARC in return for an honest review.