cptnmarv41 's review for:

Haunted by Chuck Palahniuk

4.0

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This book pretty much proves to me why Chuck Palahniuk is such a literary genius (even though I still have no idea how to properly say his last name....lol). Although this book tries to live in the world of reality, the truth is the plot is completely preposterous. However, that is where the genius lies. The fact that he can take such a ridiculous pretense and make it perfectly feasible is no small task. I absolutely love the makeup of this book and how it unfolds, one character, one poem, and one horrible back story at a time....each one seemingly worse than the last. Only Chuck P. could take such vile and disgusting content and make you want to laugh out loud and puke within the same few sentences. This is a book that is worthy of being studied, in my opinion. Among many other things, there is definitely an underlining commentary on reality television and the intense quest for fame of some. And judging by the afterword, I also feel like Chuck P used this book very deliberately to prove that books (his in particular) are still the best platform for the most uncensored content, even in the face of his own film adaptation successes. In fact, by the time one character was literally choking on a severed penis, it occurred to me that there was no chance in the world this novel would ever become a movie. At least, not a good one in relation to the content of the book. And that's a pretty refreshing feeling. Even though the premise is mighty ridiculous, the gripping and intense back stories, the witty poems, and how they all play together in the heart of the story....this book really jumped out and surprised me. Everything inside screamed at me to not like this crazy story, but it's such a master stroke of intelligent writing, you cant help but appreciate its beauty.