As I write this review, I’m listening to the Belgian rock band K’s Choice hit song “Not An Addict,” the first single from their 1996 album called Paradise in Me. The lines, “It’s not a habit, it’s cool. I feel alive. If you don’t have it your on the other side,” kept playing over and over in my mind as I read the short novella, Broken Bulbs, by Eddie Wright. This brilliantly twisted farce is the story of one man’s desperate journey for what Wright so aptly calls “somethingness.”

The story is told from the point of view of Frank Fisher, and oh what a point of view it is. The first chapter alone is a nauseating churn of short choppy staccato sentences, random thoughts and actions, that read like beat poetry at a slam. I actually had a lot of fun going back and reading them out loud. The author does a magnificent job of putting you into the head of Frank Fisher, who is suffering from a strange addiction.

You, the reader, will be drunk on words just after the first five pages. I loved the way Wright also uses a bit of poetic flare in his writing to strengthen his point, giving certain words beats and meters that force them to stick in the reader’s mind.

Sure, an editor at a traditional publishing company would rip this story apart and use Wright’s syntax (Ha! What syntax??) for toilet paper. But a story like this really embraces the true art of self-publishing anyway. It is obvious the writer has had a lot of fun writing this story, and intends for his audience to have just as much fun while reading it. His play on words, letting his protagonist discover the words along with the reader, brings much excitement to this quick read…

I think I lost it now. Do I care? Do I need it? Do I need anything? I just need this. This pulse. This pulsating…ness? Pulsatingness. In my head. I need pulsatingness.

So, Frank meets up with a strange girl named Bonnie who injects “inspiration” directly into Frank’s brain. The scene of the two of them in the diner talking about tumors, cigarettes, and obsessing over the color of Bonnie’s eyes is completely hysterical! With more lines like “a Peter Brady puberty shriek” and “a chihuahua with a smack habit” the book will have you saying out loud, “Did I really just read that?” The whole thing is filled with crazy quips and one liners worthy of a high lighter so you can memorize and use them later.

Wright treats the pathetic nature of these two characters in a light that does not ask you to pity them. Simple minds will roll their eyes and wonder off to watch reruns of Intervention. Those a bit more open minded to the subject of addicts and their afflictions will truly appreciate these messy characters for the odd and yes, humorous and often outlandish, situations the author as put them in.

Overall, what a fun read! Wright presents the themes of addiction in a new light, but does not belittle the sickness itself or the addict. Some may sympathize with Frank. As writers, many of us will relate. How many words can you write without pots of coffee and cigarettes within reach, or whatever other magical musing drugs you feel you need to get the words out? Eddie Wright pokes fun at those silly obsessive things we need to be creative and to make us feel important. And that is the enlightening theme this novel shines upon!

Read the full review at www.lulubookreview.wordpress.com!

This is a great read and very impressive for Wright's first book. The novella jumps right into the weirdness and before you know it you're half way through the book. But don't look back, as Frank Fisher struggles to find his "somethingness" you'll find yourself laughing and charmed at Wright's interesting way of entertaining you. "It's always a lovely day, for tooth decay."