Having lived through some tragedies in his life, it is no surprise that some of his works are very dark, which can be hard to swallow for some readers. However, for those that have a tough stomach, his work really is a “work of artâ€.
His writing style is simple, but he has the talent to be able to pull anyone into his stories. Readers feel as if they too are watching everything unfold in front of their very eyes. Palahniuk’s words paint a picture for readers, so they, too, can see what he sees when they read his books.
Palahniuk has a very well deserved cult following. He takes the time to read excerpts from his books on tours and even has a large part in the website LitReactor.com where he helps writers better their work with tips and online workshops.
In the past, he has critiqued works from amateur writers, and the best ones were published in the anthology “Burnt Tonguesâ€.
So far he has been able to have 14 fiction novels published and countless short stories and other works. He also already has three other novels in the making. If a reader is ever craving another Chuck Palahniuk book, they can always count on him to produce another page-turner.
“Invisible Monstersâ€, written in 1999, was Palahniuk’s second successful novel (after some time). Originally titled “Manifestoâ€, it was too dark to be published at first, much like his first book, “If You Lived Here, You’d be Home Already†(which later had parts recycled into “Fight Clubâ€).
However, someone finally pushed to give young Palahniuk a chance, and his very dark works were published.
“Invisible Monsters†is filled with twists and turns and it is hard to describe much of it without giving away too much of the book.
The protagonist is a model, whose face is shot off while driving. She survives the accident, drives herself to the hospital, and from there she has to deal with the loss of her career and her fiance. She goes from being a model in the spotlight to the monster that no one wants to acknowledge.
It is not until she meets Brandy Alexander, that her life starts to turn around and Brandy shows her how to reinvent her life from scratch.
In May 2013, “Invisible Monsters Remix†was published. It is not a sequel though, instead it is an expansion of the first book with added scenes from the characters and memoirs interwined with the already existing text.
Take a sex-addicted con artist whose Alzheimer affected mother writes to him that he is the direct descendant of Jesus Christ and there you have the protagonist of “Chokeâ€.
Published in 2002, “Choke†became another national bestseller for Palahniuk. The movie adaptation of the book, however, was not as popular. The 2008 black comedy film was written and directed by Clark Gregg with the stars being Sam Rockwell and Anjelica Huston.
The movie was criticized for not being able to capture the true tone of Palahniuk’s books. Most of the reviews ranged from mediocre to average.
The book itself though was another masterpiece by Palahniuk. The protagonist, Victor Mancini, needs to make money in order to help support his afflicted mother that is living in a nursing home. In order to make ends meet, he takes to conning Good Samaritans in restaurants by making himself choke to the point of requiring the Heimlich maneuver.
This cunning con artist then makes contact with his saviors telling them all about his hospital bills he cannot pay and since they are all good people, they start sending him money.
As he is conning unsuspecting people, he perpetuates a sex addiction by attending sex addicts anonymous meetings to cruise for new partners. All while this is going on, his mother’s health is failing as she writes him a letter about how he is the direct descendent of Jesus Christ, due to her alleged theft of the Savior’s foreskin.
The cliche is always to claim that the book is better than the movie, and sometimes it is a false statement. However, for “Chokeâ€, the movie was not even close to being able to capture the surprising emotional connection you feel to this antihero.
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Out of all of the Palahniuk books, “Lullaby†somehow manages to be my favorite. And like “Snuffâ€, it is a very quick read.
Journalist, Carl Streator accidentally murders his wife and child when he sings them what he thought was an innocent lullaby.
Of course, since this is a Palahniuk creation, the lullaby is not a simple lulling song. Instead, it is a culling song which is an African chant that is used to put the old and sick out of their misery with a painless passing.
Even if the chant is just thought about in one’s mind, it can be fatal to others.
You may be asking yourself, “How does one come across this lullaby?†Well, it is on page 27 of “Poems and Rhymes from Around the Worldâ€. Luckily, this book is not real, so do not waste your time trying to find it so you can rid yourself of your worst enemy.
The anthology of poems is on many library bookshelves where unsuspecting visitors can pick up the book and read it to their sweet children as they attempt to lure them into a peaceful deep sleep. Too bad the sleep they are putting their children in is a little too deep.
Carl Streator meets the shady Helen Hoover Boyle, Mona (Helen’s assistant), and Oyster (Mona’s boyfriend). The three unlikely teammates travel across the country together to find every copy of the book and destroy it before someone finds it and learns the power of the seemingly harmless lullaby.
But is the power of knowing what is on page 27 too much for someone to handle? Wielding the power to kill someone with a simple recitation of a lullaby can be very tempting to some, but who will cave?
“Haunted†starts out with one of the most disgusting short stories ever written. At his readings, Palahniuk Chuck Palahniuk often takes joy in reading “Guts†aloud to his audience. There have been around sixty or more incidents of people fainting while hearing the story because of its graphic content.
Due to the nature of the short story, I will not be giving a description of it. You can easily find it with a quick google search of the title. Be warned though, it is not for the faint-hearted.
The storyline for “Haunted†is simple: seventeen writers are sent on a retreat for three months and are competing to write the next great American novel. The set-up seems ideal, but things go very, very wrong.
The plot of “Haunted†is a twisted one, you may think that the creators of the “Saw†series took part in it. However, most of the pain is inflicted on themselves by themselves.
The reason that this book works so well, is that it is almost an anthology, but there is a running story between each other short story within the book.
At first, the book can be a little complicated to comprehend, because it does jump around a lot. But, if you take the time and focus, it becomes one of the best novels you will ever read.
The characters in this book are really…characters. Some of the characters include Sister Vigilante, whom preaches her religion and carries around a bowling ball that may have been used to kill someone. And then there is Lady Baglady that likes to pretend she is homeless just so she may get away from the tiresome conversations with her vain friends.
The way that Palahniuk can craft this wide range of characters, each with their own completely unique backstory is absolutely amazing. To be fair though, he has been known to incoporate a lot of his real life into his books. It has been said that if you have ever had a personal conversation with him, there is a good chance you (or parts of you) will end up in one of his novels.
It is his unending wit and creativity that makes him a bestseller author. Like I said before, his dark imagination earns him the right to have such a dedicated cult of fans.
Looking for a risque book without the excessive graphic sexual detail? Then look no further than “Snuffâ€. The book is written from the vantage point of three different men that are all waiting to have sex with porn star, Cassie Wright.
However, these three men are not alone. Cassie is looking to break the world record by having sex with 600 men on camera.
The three vantage points include the man that first got Cassie into the business, a young guy who (is not alone) is claiming to be Cassie’s long lost son, and a washed up television star that is hoping this video will jumpstart his career again.
Considering the rest of his body of work, this is not one of his best novels, but it is still worth reading. It is also only 208 pages, so it certainly is a quick read.
Like the rest of his books, this is no exception to his dark, twisted fantasies. Between the abundance of mommy issues, some daddy issues, and a bleak view into the depths of the porn industry, Palahniuk never fails to disappoint his readers.
With the perfect mix of humor and mental distraught, readers should not be weary of this book just because it is about a porn star. While, it will not leave you with any life changing lessons, it will be great entertainment for a few hours.
Lauren Dwyer
Senior Features Editor