Tsk, doing a review on Chuck Palaniuk's Haunted is very difficult because I've never had so much mixed feelings for a book. It's either a provocative masterpiece, or a disgustingly showy story. I decided to give Chuck Palaniuk a go because I keep seeing his books around.
Provocative because of its storyline; a "Writers' Retreat" promising 23 participants 3 months of hermitic living where they will write their next best-selling books. Food and shelter as promised, but these 23 people find themselves confined in a grand theatre, hermetically sealed from the outside world.
Structure-wise, the main story (about the happenings between the 23 people) is interspersed with poems and a short stories of each of the participants. You get to know the story behind nicknames the 23 people identify themselves as.
The first short story, Guts, was on Saint Gut-Free, and after reading it, I initially thought this might be the most exciting book, ever. Though it's highly sexually explicit, it keeps you on your toes, it makes you uncomfortable, yet it urges you to pursue the next page and the page after.
You can read Guts here.
I guess it speaks volumes for Palaniuk who has the guts (haha) to publish such a disgusting piece of text, because it's one of those things people would either love or condemn. The fact that the short story can evoke feelings of disgust and sympathy for the character takes it to a new level, in my opinion. Digging deeper into my reaction, I suppose the mark of good author is his ability to churn emotions from words, and on retrospection, I realise my favourite books are those that made me think and feel alot. While I do not fancy the detailed expository on "getting off", the amount of dark humor in the Guts is amazing.
I personally feel that Guts was the opening gambit to draw readers into reading Haunted. Sadly, the rest of the short stories fall short of expectations. They were dark and interesting, some were okay, but not as good.
Some good short stories:
Something's Got to Give by Countess Foresight
Dog Years by Mr Whittier
Exodus by Director Denial
The main reason I have mixed feeling for this novel is because of the amount of gross shit it has. Getting your guts sucked out, pulling your fingernails, eating a cat, ok fine, it's provocative, it's good. I felt things were spiraling out of hand in the later part with self-castration, hacking fingers and toes, and slicing a hunk of ass from a live being. That's not provocative, that's just trying too hard, it's bordering on perverse. But looking at the bigger picture, Haunted by Chuck Palaniuk is an excellent satire on human selfishness and greed. These people are resorting to self-mutilation because they want to frame themselves as victims under Mr Whitter's evil machination guised under a "Writers' Retreat", so that their next bestselling book would be about their 3 months torture. Omg, yes take a moment to soak up the insanity of it all.
From reading reviews on Goodreads, it is said that Haunted defintiely loses out to Palaniuk's other works. Would absolutely try Fight Club. I would give Haunted a 3.5/5.
Being a model student I am, I gave my brother's POP a miss 2 years ago because I didn't want to skip school or CCA (I can't remember which), LOL I'm not kidding. I was rather looking forward to seeing a collective group of men celebrating their first 2 months of service but when I was walking up to the seats on the platform I felt like I was gonna faint from the bloody smelly fumes emanating from the guys. I honestly had reservations on putting my arm around my army friends because they were so sweaty and smelly and disgusting but after awhile of walking under the sun, looking for people while clad in semi-long sleeves (such a genius) I think I had soaked up the smelliness of it all. But smelly guys are ok ah, at least to Thien who was eyecandying anyone in green. To quote: "You look in this direction, I look in that, we see got any good looking sergeants."
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| My friend HW, who didn't march at all but still as sweaty yuck |
Congrats to all who have 22 more months to serve! :-)
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