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2.78 AVERAGE
2.78 AVERAGE
DNF - a dark part of me was enjoying this, but it was just so odd I couldn't continue :)
medium-paced
I think I have read 90% of the books/essays written by Palahniuk and I did not like this one. It seemed to me almost a parody of his books because of the constant repetition, the exaggerated sexual connotations (and when I say exaggerated I mean often annoying), the story so meaningless that it bores. I don't know if maybe it is me who has become too used to him to appreciate him or if he is writing himself out, the fact is that I could have spared myself these pages that are not even particularly well written.
Io credo di aver letto il 90% dei libri/saggi scritti da Palahniuk e questo non mi é piaciuto. Mi é sembrato quasi una parodia dei suoi libri per via delle ripetizioni costanti, delle esagerate connotazioni sessuali (e quando dico esagerate voglio dire spesso fastidiose), la storia cosí priva di significato che annoia. Non so se magari sono io che sono diventata troppo abituata a lui per apprezzarlo o se lui si stia scrivendo addosso, fatto sta che avrei potuto risparmiarmi queste pagine che non sono nemmeno scritte poi particolarmente bene.
I received from the Publisher a complimentary digital advanced review copy of the book in exchange for a honest review.
Io credo di aver letto il 90% dei libri/saggi scritti da Palahniuk e questo non mi é piaciuto. Mi é sembrato quasi una parodia dei suoi libri per via delle ripetizioni costanti, delle esagerate connotazioni sessuali (e quando dico esagerate voglio dire spesso fastidiose), la storia cosí priva di significato che annoia. Non so se magari sono io che sono diventata troppo abituata a lui per apprezzarlo o se lui si stia scrivendo addosso, fatto sta che avrei potuto risparmiarmi queste pagine che non sono nemmeno scritte poi particolarmente bene.
I received from the Publisher a complimentary digital advanced review copy of the book in exchange for a honest review.
At least for my book club, this was lesser Palahniuk. But I thought it was fine, once I was over the very repetitive opening. Maybe I needed that long to tune out the wretched posh English dialect that P adopts here. Once you're into it, there's a kind of interesting story, one about inheriting a degraded society whose decline is blamed on you. Though it's blown way out of proportion here, it has a certain sad resonance when you hear about the previous relative-equality and comity of US culture.
I'm not saying the the book explains, explores, or limns these ideas. P doesn't do any of those things. But he evokes them here, and sort of weaves in elements of gay liberation, where things get better for some people (us) and worse for others. It's sort of poignant, with a dash of self-loathing that speaks from a Gen X brain to my Gen X heart. It's maybe not great, but it feels companionable.
Maybe that's a weird feeling to get from P, that you're a fellow traveler, or maybe that's always been his thing, that we're enlisted in a ragtag army, the only ones who really get it.
To step back down to earth: I didn't hate this and it didn't offend me. It has some interesting riffs-- the assassination of Judy G monologues are surprising and interesting. But it's not a great book.
I'm not saying the the book explains, explores, or limns these ideas. P doesn't do any of those things. But he evokes them here, and sort of weaves in elements of gay liberation, where things get better for some people (us) and worse for others. It's sort of poignant, with a dash of self-loathing that speaks from a Gen X brain to my Gen X heart. It's maybe not great, but it feels companionable.
Maybe that's a weird feeling to get from P, that you're a fellow traveler, or maybe that's always been his thing, that we're enlisted in a ragtag army, the only ones who really get it.
To step back down to earth: I didn't hate this and it didn't offend me. It has some interesting riffs-- the assassination of Judy G monologues are surprising and interesting. But it's not a great book.
If you liked Fight Club, you’ll like this, too. Narrator Cecil is like the Edward Norton here, mostly in league with his his brother, Otto (Brad Pitt), but ultimately not as bent on all-out destruction. Cecil and Otto, a pair of wealthy Welsh brothers, manage to waste three decades in the nursery “having a go” and watching Richard Attenborough documentaries where helpless animals fall prey to apex predators. Life seems to have gone sideways for the boys when they were 3 and 5, respectively. Their beloved dog, pony and father were killed, leaving them in the care of Mummy and Grandfather, expected to carry on the family legacy of hits for history.
It’s a novel of finding one’s purpose, I suppose? Does one pretend to be prey in order to lure predators to their deaths? Or does one become a predator in order to stop suffering? Are the killings of the household staff retribution, training or an attempt to build up a hard shell? Do the “boys” encourage other men to sexually abuse them because they like it or to draw their enemies closer?
I couldn’t be sure because what I thought was a story about gay men being used by chemical companies and dark networks then having their revenge on society turned out to be about addiction (per author’s note).
It’s a novel of finding one’s purpose, I suppose? Does one pretend to be prey in order to lure predators to their deaths? Or does one become a predator in order to stop suffering? Are the killings of the household staff retribution, training or an attempt to build up a hard shell? Do the “boys” encourage other men to sexually abuse them because they like it or to draw their enemies closer?
I couldn’t be sure because what I thought was a story about gay men being used by chemical companies and dark networks then having their revenge on society turned out to be about addiction (per author’s note).
Maybe it's a book slump, maybe it's a short attention span, but I just could not get into this book.
I haven't read Palahniuk since college. I used to be his biggest fan. So it's not even that the content surprised me, truly I was mostly unfazed. I just didn't find the plot compelling enough to continue.
DNF at 65%
Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to access the ARC.
I haven't read Palahniuk since college. I used to be his biggest fan. So it's not even that the content surprised me, truly I was mostly unfazed. I just didn't find the plot compelling enough to continue.
DNF at 65%
Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to access the ARC.
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Violence