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A review by jessiraemorton
Make Something Up: Stories You Can't Unread by Chuck Palahniuk
4.0
I feel like I say this about every short story collection I read. Short story collections just seem kind of hit or miss for me, and every time I read one there are stories I love and stories I hate. Make Something Up is no different.
Of course, there are the par for the Palahniuk course gross out stories ("The Toad Prince"), but there were several stories that I felt had a bit more nuance to them. "Expedition" was wonderful. I love the idea of Tyler being sort of hereditary, and I thought some of the things Palahniuk wrote about absent fathers in that story were particularly insightful. "Romance" bears up to re-reading as does "How a Jew Saved Christmas", both of which I had read when they were previously published elsewhere. I believe "Zombies" and "Tunnel of Love" were also previously published, but I didn't find them quite as compelling on a second read.
Overall, I think that this collection is a must read for Palahniuk fans. There were more good stories than not so good (and of course, some people will just prefer different stories). It's a solid set of stories from one of my favorite authors to read for fun. It was entertaining, quick, and occasionally unexpected. I especially liked some of the self-referential bits within stories, because it really highlights the tongue-in-cheek nature of so much of Palahniuk's work.
Finally, I truly hope that compiling a set of stories that were already written and working on a sequel (Fight Club comic books) has given Chuck a bit of a rest. Over the past several years, he's really been cranking out novels, and I think a little time to breathe might do a world of good for the next one he writes.
Of course, there are the par for the Palahniuk course gross out stories ("The Toad Prince"), but there were several stories that I felt had a bit more nuance to them. "Expedition" was wonderful. I love the idea of Tyler being sort of hereditary, and I thought some of the things Palahniuk wrote about absent fathers in that story were particularly insightful. "Romance" bears up to re-reading as does "How a Jew Saved Christmas", both of which I had read when they were previously published elsewhere. I believe "Zombies" and "Tunnel of Love" were also previously published, but I didn't find them quite as compelling on a second read.
Overall, I think that this collection is a must read for Palahniuk fans. There were more good stories than not so good (and of course, some people will just prefer different stories). It's a solid set of stories from one of my favorite authors to read for fun. It was entertaining, quick, and occasionally unexpected. I especially liked some of the self-referential bits within stories, because it really highlights the tongue-in-cheek nature of so much of Palahniuk's work.
Finally, I truly hope that compiling a set of stories that were already written and working on a sequel (Fight Club comic books) has given Chuck a bit of a rest. Over the past several years, he's really been cranking out novels, and I think a little time to breathe might do a world of good for the next one he writes.