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A review by rogy
Tell-All by Chuck Palahniuk
3.0
There is so much of this book that could have been good, but it just... wasn’t. The writing style was kind of annoying, but since it fit the character, I don’t think really think there is much you could do to fix it. Just about anything in bold or italics can be skipped over. It’s just name-dropping and animal sounds.
I also think Tell All could have been great if the energy from the second half had been present in the first half. I found the first 100 pages incredibly boring. Almost nothing was happening, and it didn’t seem worth reading or paying attention to. But once you figure out what’s going on, the energy shifts, and the story actually kind of held my interest.
Really though, the characters were doomed from the start. Kathie comes off as a codependent dumbass, whose problems could have been solved, or at least helped by attending regular therapy sessions, or even a better support system. She seems well aware that the people in her life view her as a product, something to be sold and consumed. But should I believe that she didn’t have anyone in her life trying to actually help her? Hazie’s story was pretty cool, but were her motivations for befriending Kathie, and eventually killing her simply to write a book in hopes of making money, and taking some of the fame she felt Kathie owed her? There’s not a single piece of her that maybe feels bad about hurting miss Kathie?
I used to love Palahniuk’s emotionless characters, but I think the story could have been strongly improved by some sort of emotional connection between the two women. Without emotions, the conflict is almost too simple. Hazie wants Kathie dead, and really the only thing stopping her is that Kathie wants to stay alive. It could have been fantastic if a real connection had formed, adding another layer to the conflict.
To summarize, Tell All could have been so much better than it was, and simultaneously so much worse. Character motivations make some sense, but not really enough sense to be relatable. Characters that appear to lack emotion can be fun to read, but emotion is kind of a necessary motive for an act like murder.
I also think Tell All could have been great if the energy from the second half had been present in the first half. I found the first 100 pages incredibly boring. Almost nothing was happening, and it didn’t seem worth reading or paying attention to. But once you figure out what’s going on, the energy shifts, and the story actually kind of held my interest.
Really though, the characters were doomed from the start. Kathie comes off as a codependent dumbass, whose problems could have been solved, or at least helped by attending regular therapy sessions, or even a better support system. She seems well aware that the people in her life view her as a product, something to be sold and consumed. But should I believe that she didn’t have anyone in her life trying to actually help her? Hazie’s story was pretty cool, but were her motivations for befriending Kathie, and eventually killing her simply to write a book in hopes of making money, and taking some of the fame she felt Kathie owed her? There’s not a single piece of her that maybe feels bad about hurting miss Kathie?
I used to love Palahniuk’s emotionless characters, but I think the story could have been strongly improved by some sort of emotional connection between the two women. Without emotions, the conflict is almost too simple. Hazie wants Kathie dead, and really the only thing stopping her is that Kathie wants to stay alive. It could have been fantastic if a real connection had formed, adding another layer to the conflict.
To summarize, Tell All could have been so much better than it was, and simultaneously so much worse. Character motivations make some sense, but not really enough sense to be relatable. Characters that appear to lack emotion can be fun to read, but emotion is kind of a necessary motive for an act like murder.