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Maybe the plot itself would interest people enough to stick through the generally boring and shock factor stories from each of the genuinely unlikable characters, but I couldn't do it. It is gorey and scary, but more in a way that is trying to get people to react not in a compelling plot type of way.
Graphic: Violence
Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Homophobia, Incest, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Cannibalism, Medical trauma, Abortion, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Alcohol
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Cursing, Gore, Hate crime, Incest, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Transphobia, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Cannibalism, Murder, Pregnancy, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal death, Miscarriage, Vomit
Minor: Racism, War
But if you have the guts for it, worth your time.
Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Gore, Incest, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Medical content, Dementia, Cannibalism, Medical trauma, Abortion, Death of parent, Murder, Sexual harassment, Dysphoria, Injury/Injury detail
Graphic: Body horror, Chronic illness, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Self harm, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Grief, Cannibalism, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Ableism, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Medical content, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Abortion
Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death, Drug abuse, Death of parent
Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Gore, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Cannibalism, Murder, Pregnancy, Injury/Injury detail
As for the short stories... First of all, I don't think the book's format worked. All the stories were very clearly written by the same person; all the characters have the exact same writing style. I also didn't think the stories gelled very well with the main narrative, and the shifts between them felt abrupt, but that might just be a personal preference. That said, I overall preferred the short stories to the main narrative, though I still can't say I liked them, mainly because of how disturbing some of the content was. And while I obviously understand that disturbing is what Palahniuk was going for here, there are much more refined ways of going about it. Haunted is a book devoid of subtlety, with the vast majority of the disturbing scenes and situations mentioned seeming tacked-on for shock value. To give an example, one scene mentions child pornography, a subject disturbing in and on itself without need for further detail; despite this, Palahniuk not only offers further detail, but chooses to portray particularly grotesque instances of it for no reason other than to shock and repulse. This happens throughout the book: every single time he's given the chance, he crosses the line from "disturbing" to "gratuitous".
It's all gross-out and incredibly distasteful, as well as juvenile, like a teenage boy trying to make you squirm by coming up with the most vile shit he can conjure up.
I rarely DNF books, especially one I've been meaning to read for so long, but if I'm going to read a book that makes me feel bad and puts horrible shit in my mind, it better have something to offer in return. This doesn't, and I just don't feel like putting myself through anymore of it.
Graphic: Body horror, Body shaming, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Gore, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Transphobia, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Medical content, Murder, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail
Graphic: Alcoholism, Body shaming, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Gore, Mental illness, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicide, Terminal illness, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Cannibalism, Murder, Fire/Fire injury
Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Gore, Hate crime, Homophobia, Incest, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Grief, Cannibalism, Abortion, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Sexual harassment
Yes, the book is gross. What were you expecting? Read something else if you didn't want that.
He pushes the limits and I'm wholly impressed by the originality and breadth of ideas contained in this novel.
I did lose interest slightly in the middle where I felt like the stories lacked oomph but it really picks up towards the end.
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Death, Gore, Rape, Self harm, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Cannibalism
Moderate: Animal death, Miscarriage, Murder