''The Basic Eight'' is the

debut novel A debut novel is the first novel a novelist publishes. Debut novels are often the author's first opportunity to make an impact on the publishing industry, and thus the success or failure of a debut novel can affect the ability of the author to pu ...

by author

Daniel Handler Daniel Handler (born February 28, 1970) is an American author, musician, screenwriter, television writer, and television producer. He is best known for his children's book series ''A Series of Unfortunate Events'' and '' All the Wrong Question ...

, published in 1999. The book is a version of the diary of high-schooler Flannery Culp. It contains a number of sarcastic

plot devices A plot device or plot mechanism is any technique in a narrative used to move the plot forward. A clichéd plot device may annoy the reader and a contrived or arbitrary device may confuse the reader, causing a loss of the suspension of disbelief ...

that ridicule high school English classes,

standardized testing A standardized test is a test that is administered and scored in a consistent or standard manner. Standardized tests are designed in such a way that the questions and interpretations are consistent and are administered and scored in a predetermine ...

, satanic panic and talk-show analysts. The book is a classic example of an

unreliable narrator In literature, film, and other such arts, an unreliable narrator is a narrator who cannot be trusted, one whose credibility is compromised. They can be found in a wide range from children to mature characters. While unreliable narrators are al ...

. Consistent with Handler's farcical treatment of high school English, he includes vocabulary words and study questions at the end of some of Culp's diary entries.

Plot

Flannery "Flan" Culp is a senior at Roewer High School in

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

. Over the course of the year, Flan records the events of her life in a diary—which, with some heavy editing by Flannery herself years after the fact, becomes the narrative. She and her seven close friends refer to themselves as "The Basic Eight". They are an exclusive clique, hosting the Grand Opera Breakfast Club, and regular dinner and garden parties. The story chronicles Flannery and her friends as they cope with the stresses of their final year of high school and Flannery's complicated love life. The story reaches a dark conclusion in which lives of the members of the Basic Eight are turned upside down by revealed secrets, horrifying self-discoveries, and murder.

Characters

''The Basic Eight'' consists of: * Flannery Culp, the protagonist. * Kate Gordon, the Queen Bee. * Lily Chandly, a classical musician. * Douglas Wilde, Flan's ex-boyfriend. * V__, whose rich parents have had her name expunged from the story. * Jennifer Rose Milton, a name so beautiful that Flan must always write it out in full. * Gabriel Gallon, the kindest boy in the world. * Natasha Hyatt, Flan's exuberant and beautiful best friend. Additional characters include: * Adam State, the object of Flannery's affections. * Ron Piper, the high school drama club director. * Steve Nervo, the most popular boy in school.

Connections

In Handler's third novel, ''

Adverbs An adverb is a word or an expression that generally modifies a verb, an adjective, another adverb, a determiner, a clause, a preposition, or a sentence. Adverbs typically express manner, place, time, frequency, degree, or level of certainty by ans ...

'', Kate is mentioned as the girlfriend of a minor character, Garth, in the chapter "Soundly". In ''The Basic Eight'', Kate frequently gives relationship advice from her two-week relationship with Garth, much to Flannery's annoyance. In the ''

A Series of Unfortunate Events ''A Series of Unfortunate Events'' is a series of thirteen Children's literature, children's novels written by American author Daniel Handler under the pen name Lemony Snicket. The books follow the turbulent lives of orphaned siblings List of A ...

'' video game for the

Game Boy Advance The (GBA) is a 32-bit handheld game console, manufactured by Nintendo, which was released in Japan on March 21, 2001, and to international markets that June. It was later released in mainland China in 2004, under the name iQue Game Boy Advanc ...

, an item needed in several quests is "''The Basic Nine'' by Danny Handy".

Publication history

''The Basic Eight'' was the first novel published by author Daniel Handler. Handler has stated in several interviews that it was very difficult for him to get the novel published—it was rejected 37 times before publication by Thomas Dunne Books. Handler's pen name,

Lemony Snicket Lemony Snicket is the pen name of American author Daniel Handler and a fictional character of his creation. Handler has published various children's books under the name, including ''A Series of Unfortunate Events'', which has sold over 60 millio ...

, was created while he was researching for ''The Basic Eight'' and needed a fake name to write down while signing up for organizations' mailing lists.

Reception

The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. It was founded on February 21, 1925, by Harold Ross and his wife Jane Grant, a reporter for ''The New York T ...

'' featured the novel in its First Novels section, writing: "This shrewdly funny novel is the diary of Flannery Culp, the alleged ringleader of eight high-school seniors who are accused of ritualistic murder, and instantly become the patients of countless armchair therapists and favorites with the What's Wrong with Our Youth crowd. Handler is a charming writer with a lovely mastery of voice, but the book is weakened by his attempt to turn a clever idea into social satire".

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Basic Eight 1998 American novels Novels by Daniel Handler Fictional diaries American satirical novels Novels set in San Francisco Novels set in high schools and secondary schools 1998 debut novels