The Land of Laughs is a bizarre fantasy novel by Jonathan Carroll, as far from Standard Fantasy Setting as possible (no dragons, but a lot of white bull terriers). Has subtle (but powerful) elements of Horror, but also Magic Realism. If not for its numerous - and not playful - genre elements, its metafictionality could tempt someone to pidgeon-hole it as an example of Postmodernism. Contains tones of suspense, but everyone knows who killed Laura Palmer: the question is why he did it and what to do with the consequences.
Thomas Abbey, the main character, is tired with teaching American literature to resistant kids and with everyone seeing him basically as a son of his father, who used to be famous actor before he died. One day he decides to write a biography of his favorite writer, Marshall France, leaves his collection of masks at home and goes to France's home town, accompanied by his new girlfriend, puppet collector and fellow France reader, Saxony. When in Galen, they have to convince France's daughter Anna that Thomas should be allowed to write the book. Their Galen landlady is quirky Mrs. Fletcher, a self-confessed ex-inhabitant of an asylum and the owner of a white bull terrier with fluctuant temper that follows them around. Something seems to be wrong with her, and something becomes to seem wrong with everything in Galen, though it is not easy to say what exactly: for example, there is a woman who, from time to time, bears an uncanny resemblance to a kite.
Clearly, a must-read for all New Weird fans (although it was written long before the invention of the term), po mo connoisseurs, and bull terrier lovers - as well as for postmodernist bull terriers devouring New Weird. (Nothing strange in that, when you came to think about it. When you are a bull terrier, once you stop reading fiction there is no way for you not to be postmodern.)
Provides examples of:
- All Dogs Are Purebred: justified in-universe, being one of the hints that Galen originates in fiction.
- Animorphism: happens to quite a bunch of people.
- Anti-Hero: Thomas has quite a few characteristics.
- Apathetic Teacher: Thomas.
- Archnemesis Dad: Thomas.
- The Bad Guys Win: Mostly played straight, though Thomas's Reality Warper tendencies make this ambiguous
- Betty and Veronica: Saxony and Anna.
- Big Friendly Dog: overlapping with Hellhound (of a Portent type). Yes, really.
- Broken Bird: Saxony.
- Broken Masquerade
- Broken Pedestal: Marshall France to Thomas.
- The Chosen One: in a way, Thomas.
- Domino Revelation
- Downer Ending
- The Evils of Free Will
- The Fatalists: all the Galen townfolk, in a way. It makes them also The Stoics.
- Femme Fatale: Anna France.
- Genre Shift: after Thomas hears a dog talk.
- Getting Smilies Written On Your Soul: Marshall France's characters can be seen as an example of this trope.
- Green-Eyed Monster: much of the novel's suspense is based on the tense relation between Anna France and Saxony.
- I Am Not My Father: Thomas. From his point of view, he has an Amazingly Embarrassing Dad.
- Leaning on the Fourth Wall: not even near to breaking it.
- Living Doll Collector: Marshall France.
- Magic Realism: in that we never come to know how it was possible for Marshall France to make his characters real.
- Manipulative Bitch: Anna France.
- Most Writers Are Writers: Thomas, as well as Marshall France.
- Obfuscating Insanity: Ms. Fletcher.
- People Puppets: Galen townfolk, though in a general way.
- Playing with Puppets: Marshall France. In a way, also his daughter.
- Quirky Town: Galen. Complete with Eccentric Townsfolk.
- Reality Warper: Marshall France and then Thomas.
- Reality-Writing Book: of type 1, Marshall France's books.
- Relationship Sabotage: Anna does it to Thomas and Saxony.
- Surreal Horror
- Talking Animal: of a creepy sort.
- Tomes of Prophecy and Fate: Marshall France's books for Galen townsfolk.
- Town with a Dark Secret: Galen.
- World of Symbolism
- Your Mind Makes It Real: Marshall France and then Thomas.
