Reviews

Make Something Up: Stories You Can't Unread by Chuck Palahniuk

protoman21's review against another edition

4.0

As with most short story collections, there are some gems here and some stories that just fall flat. Unfortunately, the good ones tended to be towards the beginning of the book and so while this collection started with a bang, it kind of ended, not with a whimper, but a "Ok, I'm glad I'm done with that, time to move onto something else."

Palahniuk doesn't pull punches, he is raw and his characters think and talk about life and sex and beliefs in ways that are going to make people uncomfortable. They are supposed to make you feel uncomfortable, and if you don't like that, that's on you, not Palahniuk. His stories remind me of an even cruder Stephen King.

I think my favorite story of the bunch was "How Monkey Got Married..." because there was such desperation in it. The situation was mundane, but distorted in wonderful ways and the descriptions of Monkey's entire thought process was perfectly executed.

wintrovia's review against another edition

3.0

Like most short story collections, this one was a mixed bag. Palahniuk's trademark ability to use the most disgusting ideas imaginable in his work is here but only occasionally does it add up to a good story. Some of the stories were great or at least had some lovely writing in them but too many left me cold.

schultzyscroller's review against another edition

4.0

An eclectic read. The short stories catch and hold your attention while making you think, "what on earth am I reading?"

kurt0716's review against another edition

dark medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

moonbeamjosephine's review against another edition

The gratuitous violence is just too much. His short stories are very misogynistic in ways that reflect more on the writer than the characters themselves. It gave me a lot of edge-lord vibes and I got the distinct feeling this man should be on a watchlist. 

jzerkee's review against another edition

4.0

This is pretty great, exactly what you'd expect from Palahniuk. One story I couldn't finish, one I wished I hadn't finished, and a whole bunch that just stayed with me.

stobblin's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark funny medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

In classic Palahniuk style, this book was weird! 

A series of short stories, some were memorable and enjoyable while others were just weird enough that, not only did I not like them, but I aoso skimmed through them. 

Thankfully, most of my most hated stories were also the shortest. 

kyrajanson's review against another edition

dark slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

haleyature's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark funny reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

justkirstie's review against another edition

3.0

short story collections are always a bit hit and miss, but some of these truly disturbed me.
notable mentions include Zombies, Cannibal, Phoenix, Smoke, The Facts of Life, Torcher. 3.5/5