‘Sometimes an owl is just an owl…’
One of the great things about Twin Peaks is how enigmatic it is. While the central mystery of the show (who killed Laura Palmer?) is inelegantly resolved partway through season two, there are still plenty of other mysteries to choose from. With that in mind, a book (from Twin Peaks co-creator Mark Frost) fleshing out the backstory of this strange little world perhaps feels at best unnecessary and at worst damaging to the source material. Luckily, The Secret History of Twin Peaks poses just as many questions as it provides answers…
Presented as a dossier of documents, newspaper clippings, diary entries and asides, this epistolary collection takes us right back to the formation of the town of Twin Peaks up to the death of Laura Palmer and subsequent fallout from that incident. While the fate of some of the characters left in limbo following the season two finale is revealed here, and we also receive more backstory for other characters, this book isn’t some kind of Rosetta Stone to unlock the mysteries of this inimitable fictional world. Which is probably for the best.
Frost ties Twin Peaks to the Lewis and Clark Expedition, the death of Meriwether Lewis, the Roswell incident, Project Blue Book and many other real-life conspiracy theories, as well as incorporating several US presidents and high-ranking officials. If you have little interest in conspiracy theory lore, particularly related to aliens, this is not the book for you. I found a lot of this stuff hard going, as often the links to Twin Peaks, both the town and the TV show, appear to be tenuous at best. It should also be noted that some of the backstory provided here directly contradicts some of what we have been told previously on the show. When Frost does eventually get around to the characters that we know and love (or know and tolerate in the case of Dr Jacoby), things do pick up considerably, and superfans of the show will find a whole new world of mythology and legend to get lost in here. It’s also worth pointing out that the audiobook features cast members Kyle MacLachlan, Russ Tamblyn, Michael Horse, and David Patrick Kelly, and this certainly adds an extra element of authenticity and intrigue to proceedings.
Ultimately, The Secret History of Twin Peaks is for hardcore fans and completists only, but it does feature plenty of treasure hidden amongst the rubble.