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"Before you know it as the years go by, you're just like other people you have seen, with all those peculiar human ailments. Just another vehicle for temper and vanity and rashness and all the rest. Who wants it? Who needs it? These things occupy the place where a man's soul should be." -- Henderson the Rain King

Tuesday, May 17, 2005

Invisible Monsters

Book #22 of 2005 was Chuck Palahniuk's Invisible Monsters. The main character in Invisible Monsters is Shannon McFarland, a former super model whose jaw shot is shot off in a drive-by 'accident' leaving her horribly disfigured. While recovering in the hospital, Shannon meets "The Queen Supreme" Brandy Alexander who she joins for a wild cross-country adventure to first reinvent themselves and then discover who they really are. It's a book with tons of twists and turns all written in Palahniuk's sordid minimalistic style.

I've previously ready Choke and Lullaby. Of the three Invisible Monsters is my least favorite, but I've enjoyed each. If you're unfamiliar with Palahniuk's work (Fight Club anyone?), Random House has posted a brief extract from the first chapter which should give you a flavor for how he writes.

I seem to be on a roll with reading books that are being turned into movies, as this one was long ago picked up by Mirimax and is set to be directed by Jesse Peyronel. Rumor has it that the film will star Jessica Biel as one of the main characters.

Palahniuk will be reading at Seattle's Town Hall this Wednesday night at 7:30pm.

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posted by Jamie at 12:15 AM

2 Comments:

Blogger The Affable American said...

I really didn't like this book. It's the only one of his I've read, and I won't be reading any more. It just felt like he was out to get cheap emotional reactions from his readers, in the hopes that they would misinterpret those reactions as profound. It's the ol' scary movie date strategy -- you take the girl to a scary movie so she'll get all aroused from the movie and misattribute at least part of that emotional arousal to you.

Anyway, there was a very cool comic version of this book on Palahniuk's website a while back (http://www.chuckpalahniuk.net/fan/thecult/fun/monsterscomic/monsters_comic1.htm). Looks like it's down now, at least (hopefully) temporarily.

9:02 PM

 
Blogger Jamie said...

You're not alone. Palahniuk is also critiqued as a 'shock writer' who is specifically out to get a rise out of people...kind of the Marilyn Manson of literature. I think this quote from Chuck pretty much sums up his whole philosophy:

'I set out to shock myself because if I can't shock myself, I'm not going to shock anyone else. Unless I feel I've gone a little too far, I'm not going to feel I went far enough.'

10:54 PM

 

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