Chuck Palahniuk

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Hi there, i've been meaning to get into palanuik for ages but i have no idea what book to begin on. My brother bought 'survivor' and says it's really really disappointing. Was this a good choice?

[bo bara]

I've only read Fight Club but it's excellent. Easy to read and very powerful. I think I read it in a day cause I just couldn't stop. It poses much to think about for mental illness as a form of rebellion.

Oh, actually I have also read a collection of essays, Non-Fiction, its reasonably good but the essays are hit or miss. Kind of interesting snippets of analysis on the oddities of contemporary culture.

[Zippy]

Fight Club is probably his best book, but, saying that, I enjoyed Survivor too. Another Palahniuk book I thought was good was Choke - about a guy who goes around restaurants pretending to choke on food so that people will give him the Heimlich manoeuvre. After they’ve ‘saved his life’ they take him under their wing, feeling obligated to look after him for the rest of their lives.

I really like the skewered view of life that Palahniuk presents us with, however, after reading three or four of his books I’m tiring of his writing style. It’s almost always written in the first person and the voice never changes from piece to piece. I’d like to see him experiment more – to try something different. What was fresh and original with Fight Club is becoming a bit stale in my opinion.

[closed.......]

Cool. Thanks for the advice guys

[Kurtz]

I agree with "choke". It is weird but at the same time fascinating. I have heard good things about "Survivor" and have been planning on reading "Invisible Monsters". Maybe you can read that one and tell me what you think~

[Ronnie889]

I've been a huge Palahniuk fan for a while now, so I'm happy to help you!
I first read Fight Club, although it is not his best (in my opinion), it is a great first novel.
My personal favorite is Survivor. I love that book. It isn't as disturbing as his other books, which I think highlights his satire better. I would suggest starting there, and if you like that book then move onto Fight Club, Diary, Invisible Monsters, Choke & Haunted (if you dare - honestly I couldn't finish the book - it was just too disturbing for me).

Rant is out in May!

[cows]

I need someone, or some group of people (you), to let me know what is so good about Palahniuk. I've read Fight Club and Choke. His ideas are interesting... kind of, but the character, plot, and concept development seemed contrived and obnoxious to me.

I have a couple friends who cant get enough of his stuff, though.

What do you think?

[-Valkyrie-]

I like reading his books. I've read Lullaby, Stranger Than Fiction, and Haunted.

Enjoying or not enjoying his work is a matter of taste. What is it that you require of a book in order to appreciate it? The writing itself is nothing special. It's a fairly uncommon style, but it tends to prevent good character development. I enjoy his books for the stories and the ideas those stories present.

[BrckBrln]

I just got done reading Choke because they are making a movie out of it. I liked it a lot. Yeah the writing isn't anything special but it funny and very explicit. I can't wait to read more of him.

[Silvia]

I have read all the books he wrote, except for stranger than fiction, which I think hasn't come out in Italy yet, and I love the directness of speech he uses. He is quite different from everything I have read till now and original for what the plot of his novels is concerned...they are confusing and keep you wondering till the end, when you are finally given all the answers and you can put the pieces together!
Furthermore, I think his writing style is interesting too, I mean, the way he goes on repeating certain sentences or words in order to keep the reader's attention focused on the story and all the details and pieces of information he gives concerning different topics...I don't know, I just like it..

[nomoredrama28]

I love the book "Survivor", but honestly i couldn't tell you why people love his books, perhaps it's because most of them are readable and the way he writes keeps you interested? Thats just my opinion though.

I agree with Silvia! oh, and if you like how he repeats certain things, not sure if you read it or not, but I would recommend the book "My Friend Leonard" by James Frey, he repeats a lot of sentences also to get the point across i suppose. James frey is an amazing writer, i don't care what oprah thinks. :D

Invisible Monsters and Survivor are his best!

[Silvia]

Thank you for the suggestion, nomoredrama, I have never read that book!
For what Palahniuk is concerned, I would say Fight Club, Survivor and Choke are my favourite novels, while I got a little bit disappointed while reading Lullaby and his latest one: Haunted...

[tudwell]

Fight Club, Survivor, Lullaby. If you really want to read Palahniuk, read those. I'd just as soon skip him altogether. His books are easy to read and pretty funny, but he's nothing special. And his style, while fairly original, got boring after the second or third novel (but that's just my opinion).

[Nightshade]

Ive only ever read lullaby a bit odd in places but enjoyable never the less, maybe more so because I wasnt expecting it.

[monellia]

I was introduced recently, and upon reading but one of his short stories am quite eager to look into his work.

You can read Guts here :http://www.chuckpalahniuk.net/books/haunted/guts.php
Bewarned, it's not for the squeamish.

[Mortis Anarchy]

I love him!! The first one I read was Choke. It was hilarious and mentally scarring at some points...haha. I think his style is interesting. He has a twisted sense of humor and his characters seem very real. My friend just started reading Rant, his newest book. She says it is really good and based real events. Don't quote me on that, but thats what she told me. I highly recommend his books.

I just finished Diary, I wasn't very pleased with it...it made me feel really, really weird and sad. I couldn't sleep that night, I finished it around midnight and then couldn't sleep until around four...so beware!!!

[KITTO]

Invisible monsters is really well written =]
Lots of abstract and almost twisted theories

"Nothing of me is orginal, I am the product of everyone I have ever known"

but I thought the end was a little disaspointing and tbh the storyline is a bit weak in places

PEACE OUT =]

[Old Crow]

Phalanuik is good, but not great. Enjoyable to read, extremely interesting, but ultimately forgetable. I read "Lullaby" some years back, and enjoyed it, but I don't think I'll seek out his other stuff unless I find myself craving something quick, simple, and entertaining to break up my (sometimes) stuffy regimen of literature.

[jenny1114]

I have read the book and watched the movie. I am trying to compare the themes in both. I think that the book is more about anti-consumerism and the movie is more about reclaiming masculinity. Does anyone agree?

[ZaphodBeblebrox]

No its pretty much the same thing in my eyes, both center on the fact modern america belongs to the corporations and that people in general are stupid or like sheep. Even the fight club members.

[reems]

I think both the book and movie are anarchist reactions to a consumer, corporate driven society.

I also think it's easy for a person to accuse the film of depicting an immature machismo, but really, the film portrays the effects of a consumer obsessed society on the individual.

An individual reaches a breaking point and seeks some form of release; both the book and film show this form of release through violence.

Reema

[1n50mn14]

For me, both the book and the movie were very similar in theme.

To me, it portrayed the sick kind of society in which we live, where it is extremely consumer and corporation based and everybody falls into that trap at a very young age. Yet we aren't meant to be docile sheep, and here I am going to refer to J.J Rousseau and the quote "Man is naturally good, and only by institutions is he made bad." The consumer based institutions that society is based off of have driven these characters to madness that needs to be released in some form. The build up of resentment and anger and self loathing that results from everyday life has to go somewhere...

[curlyqlink]

Both book and movie seemed to me dull-witted rebellion against the ills of "society". Believe it or not, there are responses to the temptations of consumerism other than punching oneself repeatedly in the face.

[B-Mental]

I found the theme of insomnia to be representative of discontent...I no longer remember the names, but the male lead, and the female role are both searching for something. I'm sure that there is an emptiness in these characters that is brought about by the status quo of money and physical possession of material goods.

[Seabird111]

Well, I started reading Chuck Palahniuk when I picked up Diary, (apparently his worst book). I decided that I needed to read Fight Club, and so off to Barnes and Nobel I went.

The opening chapter grabbed me. I wanted to know more about the characters.

It took a little bit for everything to take off, but once it did, it happened very quickly.

It could be confusing at times, and it seemed to fall into the Stream of Conciousness sort of writing.

If you can get past it's very first-novelosity, it's a great read with a great ending.

7/10.

[curlyqlink]

I found it terribly juvenile. I hate it when authors indulge in wish fulfillment fantasies via their characters, particularly when their greatest wish and aspiration is to have been... a tough guy.

Equally sad is when they indulge in self-pity. Which is about all the characters in this book do, in the final analysis. Oh, it's so hard being a man in today's society. Boo-hoo. Oh, by the way... did you notice what a tough, bar-fightin' kind of guy I am?

Utter silliness.

[TheFifthElement]

I found it terribly juvenile. I hate it when authors indulge in wish fulfillment fantasies via their characters, particularly when their greatest wish and aspiration is to have been... a tough guy.

Equally sad is when they indulge in self-pity. Which is about all the characters in this book do, in the final analysis. Oh, it's so hard being a man in today's society. Boo-hoo. Oh, by the way... did you notice what a tough, bar-fightin' kind of guy I am?

Utter silliness.

I think you missed the point. By a long way.

I enjoyed Fight Club though I understand why many people wouldn't. I certainly didn't find it a self-pitying book, quite the opposite in fact. There's a lot in there about taking control.

[Drkshadow03]

I found it terribly juvenile. I hate it when authors indulge in wish fulfillment fantasies via their characters, particularly when their greatest wish and aspiration is to have been... a tough guy.

Equally sad is when they indulge in self-pity. Which is about all the characters in this book do, in the final analysis. Oh, it's so hard being a man in today's society. Boo-hoo. Oh, by the way... did you notice what a tough, bar-fightin' kind of guy I am?

Utter silliness.

The story is about the problems of a hypersexualized, hyperviolent masculinity. Also, it's a critique of Capitalism in general and more specifically the consumerism of modern society. It's even more broadly an existential quest. The dude is trying to find meaning in a world where middle class business men are defined by the objects they own and he's living a stagnant life. So he has to create Tyler Durden, a split personality who represents all the things he's not. But even Durden is a distortion of modern masculine values.

It's also an anarchist manifesto. However, I would caution such a reading as I do think the book is suspicious and critical of Tyler Durden and his activities towards the end rather than necessarily celebrating them.

[Shalot]

I've only seen the movie, so maybe I shouldn't comment here about it, but I'm going to anyway. :D

The movie didn't seem to be about tough guys and fighting to me. There was a little more to it than that in my opinion. As I watched it for the first time, it seemed to be a story about a man's attempt to become someone other than a consumer.

In the beginning you seem him staying up all night watching infomercials and ordering household items from expensive catalogs and the character says that if he could just find the perfect [insert decorative household item here], then he would have the perfect life.

The man hates his job but he keeps reporting to work day in and day out so that he can pay for all the stuff he's purchased--presumably on credit. He develops insomnia. He goes to a doctor who doesn't take his symptoms seriously and he is sent home without any real treatment.

He begins attending support groups for people with various ailments. He goes to AA, and cancer support groups - he'll attend anything on the bulletin board because there is no support group for the ailment he's suffering from. His life is void of anything meaningful and all he has to show for it is an apartment full of stuff that he realizes doesn't fulfill him.

Eventually, he meets Tyler Durden. Soon after, his apartment and all his furniture goes up in flames when there is a mysterious explosion in his unit. He needs a place to stay and ends up bunking with Tyler and somewhere in the middle of all this, Fight Club is born. Fight Club becomes the one activity that he can find meaning in and it replaces his string of support group meetings.

Fight Club is not a group for tough guys. Their fights are not about being tough guys. They're railing against a materialistic, soulless society through their fights, or at least that's how it seems at first. And then, Fight Club becomes something else.

It becomes Project Mayhem, an organized movement against certain institutions, with their final target being the credit card companies - or more specifically the records of debt incurred by millions in the pursuit of a meaningful existence.

This movie touches on several issues: consumerism, cancerous credit card debt, lousy health care, spiritual famine....

And then it takes a disappointing turn. We find out that the main character suffers from mental problems. Tyler doesn't exist. Project Mayhem is not part of a revolution against consumerism. Project Mayhem is instead a series of terrorist attacks masterminded by a schizophrenic who recruited an army of morons to carry out the attacks.

That's my take on the movie - or my brief Sunday morning summary (written by someone who hasn't written a paper on a book or a movie in YEARS). I haven't read the book though it is on my list of things I want to read. Maybe someone who has seen the movie and read the book could tell me how closely the movie adheres to the book.

[JCamilo]

The movie is better because it can carry on the illusion of the split personalities better than the book. Also I think the book is not about fight or tough guys, but need of change, anarchy. It is a punk book where the punk is hidden.
Some obivous picks with classical themes of literature (dopplegangers, secret societies) under a new guise. Not as bad a most books but not such bad thing. But them movie is consierable better.

[Drkshadow03]

The movie is better because it can carry on the illusion of the split personalities better than the book. Also I think the book is not about fight or tough guys, but need of change, anarchy. It is a punk book where the punk is hidden.
Some obivous picks with classical themes of literature (dopplegangers, secret societies) under a new guise. Not as bad a most books but not such bad thing. But them movie is consierable better.

You are not a beautiful and unique snowflake. You are the same decaying organic matter as everyone else, and we are all part of the same compost pile. :D

[curlyqlink]

I think you missed the point.
No, I got the point, thanks. I just found it trivial.

Fight Club is not a rejection of capitalism. It is a rejection of materialism. (There is a difference). It is also a send-up of hyper-masculinity. A very confused send-up, but then Palahniuk seems confused about many things.

Rejecting the world your parents have created is a very old tune, and usually-- as in this book-- it is not a very interesting one. Rejecting, poking fun, an ironic tone applied to everything, even your own art, an unfocused rage to bust things up... pardon me while I yawn.

Allen Ginsberg's "Howl"... now that was eloquent. Some of those old James Dean movies... those were sort of interesting. Far more original than this poor sad attempt at writing.

[Leabhar]

Allen Ginsberg's "Howl"... now that was eloquent. Some of those old James Dean movies... those were sort of interesting. Far more original than this poor sad attempt at writing.

I find the opposite: Howl is a poor sad attempt at writing, Fight Club is an original and good lament/rebellion story.

[Hank Stamper]

I found it terribly juvenile. I hate it when authors indulge in wish fulfillment fantasies via their characters, particularly when their greatest wish and aspiration is to have been... a tough guy.

Equally sad is when they indulge in self-pity. Which is about all the characters in this book do, in the final analysis. Oh, it's so hard being a man in today's society. Boo-hoo. Oh, by the way... did you notice what a tough, bar-fightin' kind of guy I am?

Utter silliness.

It always intrigues me when people are so passionately averse to certain types of literature... What kind of books do you actually like.. and why put yourself through something that you are clearly not going to enjoy? That seems more akin to 'utter silliness' to me.

I agree with some of the other comments, the film is probably better than the book.

[curlyqlink]

why put yourself through something that you are clearly not going to enjoy?

The answer to that is simple enough: the only way to judge a book is to read it.

I'm currently reading Nietzsche (The Birth of Tragedy, Beyond Good and Evil). So far I mostly disagree with his writing, but it is profound and important nonetheless. I don't only read authors I agree with; maybe that means I don't always read for enjoyment.

[Hank Stamper]

The answer to that is simple enough: the only way to judge a book is to read it.

I'm currently reading Nietzsche (The Birth of Tragedy, Beyond Good and Evil). So far I mostly disagree with his writing, but it is profound and important nonetheless. I don't only read authors I agree with; maybe that means I don't always read for enjoyment.

Well I can understand that some people don't read just for enjoyment and certainly with academic works and philosophies that makes sense... and I also agree that the only way to judge a book is to read it, but it seems perverse to put yourself through a work of fiction that you are clearly not going to enjoy and that is ultimately just going to wind you up... life is too short! maybe you had no idea what fight club is about, in which case fair enough... anyway 'enjoy' your Nietzsche ;)

[Mr Hyde]

Great book.

I have yet to find out what that choke book is all about. ( His newest piece.)

[Hank Stamper]

Great book.

I have yet to find out what that choke book is all about. ( His newest piece.)

snuff is his newest book i believe, choke is a few years old now..

read rant over the summer which was ok, not one of his better books... haunted and lullaby are prob my faves... haunted if only for the short story 'guts'!

[ben.!]

I'm about halfway through this book. So far I'm finding it to be the weirdest written book I've read thus far. Though I have to say I do enjoy the film more in my opinion...maybe that's because I've seen it three times and it is burned into my head.

What are your thoughts on the book?

[prendrelemick]

Haven,t read the book, but found the film striking a chord .
Is there a role for the "blue collar male" in todays world.?
Are they being emasculated. (re. the Meatloaf character.)
The fights seem to me to be about regaining courage and self pride.

[Veva]

So I just bought my best friend a book for her 19th birthday by Chuck Palahniuk - The Survivor, and I am not sure what is it about. I know that she will like it, judging by her taste and his other novels. I just need to know what you guys who have read it think about it... :Dthanx

[Veva]

I might be mistaken here, but it seems to me that Chuck Palahniuk is not on the authors list here.... I am quite disappointed about it so could somebody fix it please. ;)

[LitNetIsGreat]

They have to be out of copyright, maybe they could include him in about 40 years!

[Veva]

:bawling::crash::sick: .... now I am really disappointed

[Scheherazade]

As Neely mentioned, his works are copyrighted.

[PoeknowsProse]

He's all style and no substance.

[Grit]

I've liked Chuck Palahniuk since I read Fight Club years ago, and the movie is my favourite of all time.

Last night I bought Haunted on kindle, which is a collection of his short stories in a strange novel form. Chuck has an almost identical voice in that book as he does in Fight Club. I enjoy it because I completely agree with his anti-materialistic messages, but I was a little surprised.

The book is actually quite good though, albeit disgusting.

[maxphisher]

He's like the Rob Zombie of novels: not very good at it and only worried about shock value. Meh.

[Grit]

He's like the Rob Zombie of novels: not very good at it and only worried about shock value. Meh.

Isn't there some skill in writing the most shocking literature/movies out there? I agree that Rob Zombie isn't great, but he certainly has a following...

[maxphisher]

It's a bit short sighted and reeks of the one-trick pony. Once you've shocked everyone, what else are you going to do? Unfortunately, today's popular culture thrives on the concept of "getting your 15 minutes of fame." Palahniuk got his with Fight Club, which, arguably, was decent, but now, he's just rehashing his shock 'em all technique and there's no substance to build on. For my money, I'd much rather read someone like Patrick McCabe who really does understand how to dig into the shocking mentalities of his characters and to draw the necessary connections between them and real life, therefore, allowing the discomfort that they create to work fluidly with everyday life. Personally, I find this more disconcerting than anything Palahniuk has come up with.

[Grit]

It's a bit short sighted and reeks of the one-trick pony. Once you've shocked everyone, what else are you going to do? Unfortunately, today's popular culture thrives on the concept of "getting your 15 minutes of fame." Palahniuk got his with Fight Club, which, arguably, was decent, but now, he's just rehashing his shock 'em all technique and there's no substance to build on. For my money, I'd much rather read someone like Patrick McCabe who really does understand how to dig into the shocking mentalities of his characters and to draw the necessary connections between them and real life, therefore, allowing the discomfort that they create to work fluidly with everyday life. Personally, I find this more disconcerting than anything Palahniuk has come up with.

Just out of curiosity, have you read Chuck's book Haunted?

It's very real and at the same time, very disgusting and disturbing. I'm actually really enjoying it. It's about a group of writers who agree to take a writer's retreat for three months and write a masterpiece. There are chapters where one of the characters in question shares a poem, and then a short story, and then chapters that describe their interactions. It's interesting stuff, and the short stories are quite wild. They are shocking but I find them believable. They're also sad and touch on the anti-materialism that Chuck made part of me from a young age.

That's what I think you're missing. Shock is a very distant second in what characterizes Chuck's work. More than that is his all-consuming hatred of commercial society and that's something that I share. He likes to write about the fruitlessness, the irony of the stupid world we live in and the shock serves as a function to remind us that we're animals.

That's my opinion, anyway, and I'm obviously biased. There is just as much validity in what you say as in what I say.

[maxphisher]

Oddly enough, Haunted was the last book I read before I just gave up on him. I understand the appeal he can have for some readers, I just find him a little heavy handed without much payoff. Again, like you said, just my opinion, and yours is just as valid in this argument.

Also, I still recommend Patrick McCabe if you haven't already read anything by him. His novels are all set in Ireland, so there are some dialect difficulties, but if you like the discomfort of reading someone's insanity and horror, he welcomes you into the minds of his characters, and sometimes, you just have to put the book down because you're not at all comfortable being in there. That being said, not nearly as graphic as Palahniuk.