College Students! discussion

So, this is the first thread I've begun here in the community. Thanks, Jamie, for the incentive! hope there isn't a preexisting Chuck Palahniuk discussion that I missed...

Palahniuk was my favorite writer in high school, and I've remained a loyal fan to this day, even though I have been disappointed by his work more than once in the past. Sadly, I find myself expecting less and less with every new novel he's published (let's just say there are a couple of his books sitting on my shelf, waiting to be finished... *cough*Rant&Pygmy). Still, Palahniuk is one of a few contemporary authors on a very short list for whom I am willing to purchase a hardcover copy of a new novel, no questions asked. This may not be logical given my previous statements, but it is what it is.

This being said, I've just finished reading Tell-All, the newest novel by Palahniuk. I bought the book a couple weeks ago, but I hadn't been able to get into it enough to actually finish it. Again, thanks to our moderator's incentive, I decided to push through today on my day off and finish the book. I'm wondering if anybody else has read it yet, and if so, what you thought about it.

For me, a few things bothered me about the book (not to worry, no spoilers here). First, it was a true struggle to read until almost halfway through the book, which is only 179 pages. It was confusing at times to figure out what was going on. I was further distracted by the fact that the names of people and places (of which there are very, very many) were all in bold font. Maybe it's just me, but the bold font really interrupts the flow of the reading. It's like my brain was forcing me to stop and focus on each and every name... very annoying. Lastly, many (if not most) of the names dropped in the novel were people that I had never heard of. The frequency with which these names appeared coupled with the length of the book left me with little motivation to do the research and find out who these 'Golden Age' celebrities were. Therefore, much of the time the purpose of the name-drop was totally lost on me, and I felt like I was missing out on some important bit of satire.

All of that aside, once the story began to pick up and the name-dropping became less frequent I started to get into the book. Toward the very end it got a little predictable, but Palahniuk did employ his signature 'twist' ending, and in that respect he did not disappoint. Though his earliest work is still my favorite, I suppose I'll always find something enjoyable in a Palahniuk novel.

I've only read Choke but own quite a few of his novels. I think I definitely expected more out of Choke given the hype but I found it enjoyable nonetheless. I've heard from alot of fans that his earlier stuff was better..so I'm feel like you aren't alone in that!

I've only read Invisible Monsters. The only thing I can remember from the book is Queen Supreme Brandy Alexander. I have Diary sitting on my bookshelf waiting to be read.

I'm on a waiting list at the library for Tell-All. I'll let you know how I like it!

I have read Fight Club, Invisible Monsters and Choke, which was by far the best of the lot. I did start reading Haunted but couldn't get past the half way mark as it became a little too tedious. The guy is fantastic and wry yet disturbingly accurate one liners about society etc and does have some very original ideas for novels but I have found that his quality of writing decreases as he releases more books. My friends are of the same opinion, and they have read far more of his book that I have.

The only books of his I hadn't read are Haunted, Pygmy and Tell-All. I read most of them (including his non-fiction work!) in 05-07, and I noticed they gradually started to lack quality... it read too much like a formula. The quality does decrease as he releases more books, as Krish said.
My favourites were Invisible Monsters and Diary, followed by Lullaby, Fight Club and Survivor, though I blame my placing of Survivor here because I read it in Portuguese (I was really on a Palahniuk-rush back then, I'd buy them as I found them even though Portuguese translations were far more expensive). Then I place Choke (the other one I read in Portuguese), Fugitives and Refugees, and Non-Fiction. Then Rant and Snuff, which were both too weird for me.
I do want to read the ones I haven't yet, I just feel like it'd be a total waste of money... haha.

Jamie: when did you read Choke? I ask because I can't remember any hype around the time that I first read it, but then again that was probably 8 years ago. I remember enjoying it more back then than I did when I reread it a year or so ago (though it is still one of my favorites)..

Jen: Overall, I'd say that Invisible Monsters is my favorite. Unlike my reading of Choke, I've actually found that I enjoy it more with each subsequent reading. And yes, please let us know how you make out with Tell-All. I'd like to hear what others think about it.

Krish: Yes, I actually remember having to struggle through some of the stories in Haunted, too. It was like reading an anthology of works by individual authors (and I suppose that is precisely what he was aiming for)... inevitably, some selections are just more interesting than others. I have to agree with decline in writing quality... I would rather attribute to the frequency with which he is publishing books than believe he's lost his touch. There was some stumble in getting his first few novels published... but after that he's published almost a book a year (including nonfiction).

Bárbara: I've read the nonfiction, too. I really could not get into Fugitives and Refugees: A Walk in Portland, Oregon, though I admire his love for his city. It's just that I've been a New Englander all my life (so far, anyway)... I couldn't really appreciate as much as I'm sure others can. The very first piece of Palahniuk's writing that I read was actually an article that was later featured in Stranger Than Fiction: True Stories. It was the article about the Testicle Festival in Montana. I remember it distinctly: it was eighth grade art class and the boys were handing around a magazine (can't remember which one), showing everyone the article. Finding it disturbingly entertaining (yeah... I was 13) I ripped it out and saved it. I never realized until I read Stranger Than Fiction that it was written by him. I still have that article!
Anyway, if you want to read the ones you haven't, I suggest doing the library thing. Free!

abbey sophia wrote: "Jamie: when did you read Choke? I ask because I can't remember any hype around the time that I first read it, but then again that was probably 8 years ago. I remember enjoying it more ..."
Haha, I started by Stranger Than Fiction (my british version calls it "Non-Fiction")! I'd just heard a lot about him so when I saw a book of his I just thought I'd buy it. I do want to read the others, but they're not translated into pt... and our libraries are very foreign-language poor :(

I caught the Palahniuk bug a couple of summers ago, and I went through Lullaby, Choke, Fight Club, Invisible Monsters, Diary, and Survivor. Invisible Monsters is my absolute favourite. I cannot make it through his latest works. I couldn't finish Pygmy, and I didn't get excited about Tell-All. He's cranking out a book a year, and I would rather wait 5, 10 years between books to get something of quality rather than just these weird pieces he's been giving us lately.

I actually loved Haunted. I've read Fight Club and Diary too and while FC is a modern classic, Haunted was addictive because it was so twisted and out there. While they don't have the same writing style, I can see a lot of the same taste for the weird and twisted between Palahniuk and Stephen King. Its been a while since I read either but I remember Diary and Duma Key having some weird coincidences.

I agree that his books have somewhat lost their appeal. I too have started expecting less from him with each book. The first Palahniuk I read was Fight Club, which I loved. Since, I have read Lullaby, Survivor, Diary, Choke, Invisible Monsters, Snuff, and Stranger Than Fiction. Invisible Monsters is one of my favorite books, definitely my favorite of his. I heard a lot of people say Choke is amazing as well but I wasn't as intrigued by it. I was severely disappointed with Snuff and I haven't yet heard anything good about Pygmy or Tell-All either.

I don't know if any of you have checked his website lately but a few weeks ago I saw he is coming out with a new book. This one looks very different from all his others and could be pretty cool in a Tim Burton kind of way, if he does it right.

http://chuckpalahniuk.net/books/damned

...I kinda hate it that he's coming with a new book EVERY SINGLE YEAR.

I went through an obsessive pase with Palahniuk when I was 18, and in one summer I read Diary, Choke, Lullaby and Invisible Monsters (which is still one of my favourite books). I only got into him because my dad bought me Diary for my 18th birthday, purely because it had 'nihilistic' in one of the reviews and he thought that described me :P

Since then I've only managed either to re-read the oldies, along with Rant, Haunted and Survivor. There are far too many of his out now, I need to catch up.

(Embarrassing question - did anyone else nearly take their copy of Survivor back to the shop thinking it had been printed wrongly? I had to look it up on Wikipedia...)

I don't understand the interest in Chuck Palahniuk's work at all.
There is a difference between writing something that is genuinely disturbing/shocking/etc. and writing something just to disturb/shock/etc.

He is very sensational, and in the worst of ways. Instead of questioning the quality of the plot and the characters, the reader is often left feeling more interested in the latest "holy shit" moment.

I wouldn't say that he is above writing things simply for shock value, but the books I've read by him still have an underlying meaning beyond that.

Fight Club is the anarchist twin of Buddhism, complete detachment from everything, but for the sake of destruction and obliterating the establishd order. Haunted points out all our own self-centredness and how it relates to the pursuit if something great.

wow, I have to disagree with a lot of the comments in this thread. I have not read the last few releases (I'm going to get to them eventually!), but his previous works have all been WELL worth the read to me. Particularly Fight Club and Invisible Monsters. I did admittedly struggle through Choke at parts, but overall I enjoyed the read and walked away from the book with standout scenes, and a general satisfaction. Honestly, I think he is one of the best modern day writers. I really can't think of anyone else who I will buy a book from immediately without even knowing what it's about. I guess I just haven't lost interest in his stories yet. Even the ones I haven't read, like Snuff and Pygmy, to me both sound super interesting.

I have read Fight Club, Diary, Lullaby, Invisible Monsters, Rant, Haunted, and Survivor. Invisible Monsters was the best of the bunch in my opinion, and the one that got me hooked. I enjoy all of his books but have to agree that some are far better than others. Rant and Diary disappointed me, I just couldn't get into them. The newest ones haven't really appealed to me, but I'm sure I'll pick them up someday.

Is anybody else still grossed out by Lobsters since Fight Club?

Have any of you read Douglas Coupland? His work has always seemed similar to me, in a less creepy/gory way.

Emily wrote: "I have read Fight Club, Diary, Lullaby, Invisible Monsters, Rant, Haunted, and Survivor. Invisible Monsters was the best of the bunch in my opinion, and the one that got me hooked. I enjoy all of h..."

I haven't heard of Douglas Coupland. I will have to check him out. Suggestions on where to begin?

I've only read Girlfriend in a Coma and Hey Nostradamus! by Coupland, I definitely recommend Hey Nostradamus!.

I'm reading Lullaby right now. I'm liking it but I'm feeling a whole lot of WTF moments where I just sit there like, "awhaa?" but it's really interesting.

I'm thinking those WTF? moments are typical of his works?

Abbey-- I read it last year I think? I meant hype from people I had talked to in another GR group and some friends I have. Also, I think the movie may have been coming out at the time?

Jamie wrote: "I'm reading Lullaby right now. I'm liking it but I'm feeling a whole lot of WTF moments where I just sit there like, "awhaa?" but it's really interesting.

I'm thinking those WTF? mom..."

I felt the same way when I was reading Lullaby.

I read a few of his books a couple years ago. I want to read some more, and I want to re-read Choke. I remember clearly sitting outside next to the pool reading Haunted, and basically reading it to get through certain parts (such as the part about the pool....). Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the book, but it's not like a movie where you can close your eyes until the gross part is over. ;)

I saw him at a reading and book signing last year with a friend. He had games and gave away prizes, he was hilarious, and seemed sort of shy in an adorable way. I found myself wanting to hug him.