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holley_cornetto's review
2.0
Just because it is satire, doesn’t mean that you get to be lazy about the details.
This book reads like a first draft, not a finished novel. There are too many questions that are never addressed, and too many plots that never go anywhere. Maybe it would have been better if more of the characters actually went through some sort of character development. As it was, the only character that really got an in-depth treatment was Walter.
The problem is that the characters and stories are so underdeveloped that the reader has a really difficult time caring.
Now that I’ve given my reasons for disliking story elements, I want to give a few smaller details that irked me about this book.
- The references to his own work. Yes, we know you wrote Fight Club, and yes, Fight Club was a great book. So, what do you do when the seminal work of your career happened over twenty years ago? You mention it repeatedly in a new book to remind readers that you wrote it, apparently.
- The overuse of the word rape. Repeatedly: “Ear-raping” “Poop-raping” “fork-raping” “rape of the structure.” It was crass. Stop trivializing this word.
I read in an interview (https://nerdist.com/chuck-palahniuk-adjustment-day-interview/) that the publisher and perhaps a dozen editors rejected this book before it was eventually published. I can see why. If this book underwent some heavy editing so that there was more development and story, then I think it could have been quite good, thus two stars instead of one.
This book reads like a first draft, not a finished novel. There are too many questions that are never addressed, and too many plots that never go anywhere. Maybe it would have been better if more of the characters actually went through some sort of character development. As it was, the only character that really got an in-depth treatment was Walter.
Spoiler
The former United States get divided up into three territories – one each for whites, blacks, and homosexuals. He tries to follow an “outsider” to each of these cultures. So, we follow a straight person in Gaysia, a black person in Caucasia, a homosexual in Caucasia, and a white person in Blacktopia.Now that I’ve given my reasons for disliking story elements, I want to give a few smaller details that irked me about this book.
- The references to his own work. Yes, we know you wrote Fight Club, and yes, Fight Club was a great book. So, what do you do when the seminal work of your career happened over twenty years ago? You mention it repeatedly in a new book to remind readers that you wrote it, apparently.
- The overuse of the word rape. Repeatedly: “Ear-raping” “Poop-raping” “fork-raping” “rape of the structure.” It was crass. Stop trivializing this word.
I read in an interview (https://nerdist.com/chuck-palahniuk-adjustment-day-interview/) that the publisher and perhaps a dozen editors rejected this book before it was eventually published. I can see why. If this book underwent some heavy editing so that there was more development and story, then I think it could have been quite good, thus two stars instead of one.
crispymerola's review
dark
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
Chuck's equivalent of an ensemble film. A fair amount of restraint on display in terms of structure + plot. Thematically muddled but nearly every bit of Talbott's book and its creation was fascinating.
The aftermath of the titular Adjustment Day was less interesting than the leadup, which is unfortunate because the book is two-thirds aftermath. The world-building was chuckle worthy but not super fulfilling - I get that Talbott's ideas would be awful if put into practice, why do I need to spend half the book experiencing that?
I appreciate that this is a response to the way Fight Club has been received by certain wackadoos.
The aftermath of the titular Adjustment Day was less interesting than the leadup, which is unfortunate because the book is two-thirds aftermath. The world-building was chuckle worthy but not super fulfilling - I get that Talbott's ideas would be awful if put into practice, why do I need to spend half the book experiencing that?
I appreciate that this is a response to the way Fight Club has been received by certain wackadoos.
t_d_brooking's review
3.0
May 22: I haven't yet finished this story...I'm at page 71 and it's a bit all over the map. I'm patient and I trust Palahniuk as an author. He will wind all the threads together. I'm counting on it.
fernfuentes's review
2.0
Well... this one started off strong, had some nice moments, but ultimately was a great letdown. There were more main characters in this novel than in a GRRM book, and I didn’t give a shit about any of them. The story started with steam and then just fizzled out. By the time I got about halfway through I just kept wondering where this was going? There didn’t seem to be an actual plot here, and most of the action happened behind the scenes. The ending was super unsatisfying, and left me confused.
7anooch's review
5.0
Chuck is a genius. This book is a satire of everything that is currently wrong with the world. I really wonder how this book will age..
just_tiffany's review against another edition
dark
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
feelsnotbrains's review against another edition
4.0
I don’t really know what I just read. I don’t know if the liberal in me is offended or not. The world building is immense and the prose, like all Palahniuk, is sumptuous. It read easily like nursing warm milk and honey.