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This isn't my first foray into Palahniuk's sometimes confronting, sometimes shocking writing style, so I kind of knew what to expect. That said, I did think that this book was slightly more pretentious and in-your-face than some of his other offerings. Though, what's important to note is that, with Palahniuk, you're not looking for a rip-roaring adventure with archetypal characters and cliché plot events - and if you are, you're most certainly looking in the wrong place! - what you're looking for is a challenging and thought-provoking piece that will simultaneously make you chuckle and render you utterly speechless.
Damned is no exception to the "Palahniuk" rule: as always, it is unrelenting, and interesting to read.
The book centres itself around Maddie Spencer, a 13 year old who finds herself in hell after "overdosing on marijuana". The hell that Palahniuk has rendered will probably very scarcely resemble anything you've previously envisaged before - peppered with human excrement, bile, clippings, etc.; with an economy that runs on candy; and where people are consigned to call centres where they interrupt dinners with meaningless consumer surveys - bordering on the whimsical. Rounding out the cast is the rest of the Breakfast Club stereotypes-taken-almost-too-far, though essentially, they don't end up leading anywhere. Personally, I think that Maddie's parents are the best characters, and unfortunately we're always kept at arm's length from them!
I wouldn't recommend the book to "most people" because the truth is that it's not meant for mass appeal; it is a book that doesn't contain that much "story", doesn't have a good hook, likeable characters or is it something that you can simply read and walk away from.
Palahniuk has always demanded of his readers that they engage on some level beyond just reading the words, following the story; he's demands that readers almost "justify" their beliefs of the world. He does this by constantly questioning those core beliefs that are just "givens" in society today... in fact, he's so in your face with this that it sometimes comes off seeming almost argumentative. If you can get past this though, you'll actually find some really refreshing insights that may just change your way of thinking.
All in all, if you're up for a challenging, thought-provoking read with a slight case of the whimsical, this one's for you. If you just want something fun and light, this could potentially be for you. If you want an engaging page-turner, stay the HELL away. <-- Geddit?!
Damned is no exception to the "Palahniuk" rule: as always, it is unrelenting, and interesting to read.
The book centres itself around Maddie Spencer, a 13 year old who finds herself in hell after "overdosing on marijuana". The hell that Palahniuk has rendered will probably very scarcely resemble anything you've previously envisaged before - peppered with human excrement, bile, clippings, etc.; with an economy that runs on candy; and where people are consigned to call centres where they interrupt dinners with meaningless consumer surveys - bordering on the whimsical. Rounding out the cast is the rest of the Breakfast Club stereotypes-taken-almost-too-far, though essentially, they don't end up leading anywhere. Personally, I think that Maddie's parents are the best characters, and unfortunately we're always kept at arm's length from them!
I wouldn't recommend the book to "most people" because the truth is that it's not meant for mass appeal; it is a book that doesn't contain that much "story", doesn't have a good hook, likeable characters or is it something that you can simply read and walk away from.
Palahniuk has always demanded of his readers that they engage on some level beyond just reading the words, following the story; he's demands that readers almost "justify" their beliefs of the world. He does this by constantly questioning those core beliefs that are just "givens" in society today... in fact, he's so in your face with this that it sometimes comes off seeming almost argumentative. If you can get past this though, you'll actually find some really refreshing insights that may just change your way of thinking.
All in all, if you're up for a challenging, thought-provoking read with a slight case of the whimsical, this one's for you. If you just want something fun and light, this could potentially be for you. If you want an engaging page-turner, stay the HELL away. <-- Geddit?!