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A review by leviathandreamer
Adjustment Day by Chuck Palahniuk
2.0
I really didn't want to start this review with ''I loved Fight Club...'' but what the hell. Even the author himself broke the first rule of Fight Club in this book several times, so I might do as well.
This book also obviously attempts to be a follow-up - or let's say, a spiritual successor to Fight Club. However, what FC managed to express in a gritty, poignant and cynical, but painfully relatable way, the Adjustment Day is just all talk and no effect, and it made me feel absolutely nothing.
The central theme shows promise, but let's be fair, it's awfully easy to take the piss out of the current situation, and Palahniuk, although trying very hard to be shocking and as offensive as possible, does really nothing new and exceptional in terms of storytelling. It's confusing and messy, violent, angry and crude, so basically everything we loved about Fight Club - but here it doesn't mean anything. Although I can agree with what emanates from the book - that everyone's at fault, we're delusional, politics sucks, essentially - the overal execution is just weak, because the author's trying too hard, when it could be a wonderful short novel instead of useless 300+ pages of rambling about the same shit all over again.
What was also a big turn off for me was the fact that although there was a numerous cast of characters, none of them offered a new, interesting or at least somehow different perspective from the others. What's the point of having numerous POV's then? In the end, it's just one view - the author's. Which I wouldn't mind per se, but even if we attempt to perceive the book solely as a satirical commentary (which works, but then again, it's a very easy target and I'd expect more from Palahniuk), the execution just falls flat.
Adjustment Day annoyed me, but I didn't hate it that much. There were quite a few scenes I enjoyed (I mean, I didn't particularly like reading about what put the ''rapist'' in ''therapist'', but you catch my drift) and the plot was somehow entertaining enough to keep me reading. And although I have yet to dive into some of P. earlier works, I certainly hope he won't continue the ''rambling of an old man'' trend he started in this one.
This book also obviously attempts to be a follow-up - or let's say, a spiritual successor to Fight Club. However, what FC managed to express in a gritty, poignant and cynical, but painfully relatable way, the Adjustment Day is just all talk and no effect, and it made me feel absolutely nothing.
The central theme shows promise, but let's be fair, it's awfully easy to take the piss out of the current situation, and Palahniuk, although trying very hard to be shocking and as offensive as possible, does really nothing new and exceptional in terms of storytelling. It's confusing and messy, violent, angry and crude, so basically everything we loved about Fight Club - but here it doesn't mean anything. Although I can agree with what emanates from the book - that everyone's at fault, we're delusional, politics sucks, essentially - the overal execution is just weak, because the author's trying too hard, when it could be a wonderful short novel instead of useless 300+ pages of rambling about the same shit all over again.
What was also a big turn off for me was the fact that although there was a numerous cast of characters, none of them offered a new, interesting or at least somehow different perspective from the others. What's the point of having numerous POV's then? In the end, it's just one view - the author's. Which I wouldn't mind per se, but even if we attempt to perceive the book solely as a satirical commentary (which works, but then again, it's a very easy target and I'd expect more from Palahniuk), the execution just falls flat.
Adjustment Day annoyed me, but I didn't hate it that much. There were quite a few scenes I enjoyed (I mean, I didn't particularly like reading about what put the ''rapist'' in ''therapist'', but you catch my drift) and the plot was somehow entertaining enough to keep me reading. And although I have yet to dive into some of P. earlier works, I certainly hope he won't continue the ''rambling of an old man'' trend he started in this one.