The Secret Diary of Laura Palmer

The Secret Diary of Laura Palmer

Company type	Novel
Industry	Publishing
Founded	1990
Founder	Jennifer Lynch (author)
Products	Book

The Secret Diary of Laura Palmer is a 1990 spin-off epistolary novel linked to the television show Twin Peaks, authored by Jennifer Lynch, who is the daughter of the series co-creator David Lynch. Released between the debut and follow-up seasons, the book presents a straightforward account from the viewpoint of Laura Palmer, a teenager in a small community subjected to abuse and terror by the sinister entity known as BOB.

Jennifer Lynch drew inspiration from her own childhood fascination with diaries. Encouraged by her father, she crafted Laura Palmer’s diary to enrich the character’s background. Under the direction of David Lynch and co-creator Mark Frost, who urged her to "become Laura Palmer," Jennifer approached the diary with deep empathy for the character, resulting in a writing style that resembled automatic script.

Contents

The narrative commences on Laura’s twelfth birthday in 1984 and evolves in tone and language complexity as it progresses. It addresses common adolescent themes such as her initial menstruation, first romantic encounter, and family dynamics, while also delving into darker subjects including sexual abuse, promiscuity, cocaine dependency, and a fixation on mortality. Laura’s poetry within the diary hints at her eventual homicide.

An entry dated 23 July 1984 recounts Laura’s first nightmare, which foreshadows BOB and his malevolent acts when she was around ten or eleven years old. Subsequent entries from 1986 reveal that she "suddenly recalls numerous things" whose reality she cannot verify but ultimately accepts as true. She documents obsessive preoccupations with sex and drugs alongside fears of damnation. These recollections blur chronological boundaries and symbolize the conclusion of her childhood innocence. By September 1986, Laura questions whether BOB is real, noting his refusal to allow her "adult pleasures."

By December 1986, Laura grapples with owning up to her "sinful thoughts." She first experiments with cocaine in October of that year and quickly develops an addiction. A disturbing vision in January 1987 features her father interrogating her about visits to the One-Eyed Jack's brothel. In February, amid withdrawal symptoms, BOB appears to "communicate" through her diary as she experiences shifts between different personalities. She relapses in April, attributing control over her life to BOB.

On 12 November 1987, drug traffickers Leo Johnson and Bobby Briggs discover Laura unconscious. That same evening they rob cocaine from a local cartel, culminating in a firefight. Under the influence of cocaine-induced visions, Laura revisits traumatic events involving her cat and a forgiving girl who resembles her younger self. Determined to change, she is nonetheless coerced by Leo into participating in an orgy. Upon returning home, she encounters BOB, who mocks and threatens her presence.

Later on, Laura holds two positions for hotel owner Benjamin Horne—caring for his son Johnnie and apprenticing at his boutique—while also volunteering with Meals on Wheels. Despite these efforts, she relapses into drug use and sexual addiction and begins working as a prostitute at One-Eyed Jacks. During this period, she meets Dr. Lawrence Jacoby, a therapist who becomes romantically involved with her.

The diary concludes with gaps due to missing pages from late 1989, leaving the identity of Laura’s killer uncertain; according to Lynch, attentive readers will be able to piece together the clues provided.

Commercial performance and editions

In October 1990, the book climbed to the fourth position on The New York Times paperback fiction best seller list, despite some American retailers opting not to carry it because of its explicit material. The UK edition was released by Penguin Books in November 1990. Entertainment Weekly commended the book for being "remarkably true to the essence of Peaks."

On June 10, 2011, Twin Peaks co-creator Mark Frost announced a new edition set for release that autumn, which included a foreword penned by both himself and David Lynch.

An audiobook version, narrated by Sheryl Lee, the actress who played Laura in the television series, became available in May 2017.

See also

• List of fictional diaries
• Twin Peaks books
• Laura's Secret Diary, the second season’s eleventh episode prominently featuring the diary