I just finished Choke by Chuck Palahniuk (literally, about 2 minutes ago). I'm still processing the book, but I will do what I can to explain my thoughts. First of all, it's definitely an adult novel since it is about a man who is a recovering sexual addict and there are quite a few explicit descriptions of his encounters.
Outside of that disclaimer, I think I really liked the book. The way that Palahniuk writes the book with each chapter taking place out of chronological order and no real plot is set out from the beginning was confusing at first, but by the end I was definitely into it. The book is also quite humorous from start to finish, and that makes it all the more enjoyable to read. As a kind of a plot summary for those who might be interested, Victor Mancini is a sex addict who makes money to take care of his mother by working at a colonial village as a historical reenactor and choking at various restaurants each night (people will send you money because they will then feel responsible for you after saving your life he finds out). Plus, there's also the point in the story when Victor begins to think that he is a Christ figure and vehemently denies it to the point that he begins to live by the motto "what would Jesus not do," and that (obviously) leads to some amoral behavior, with some pretty funny results.
Basically (without giving too much away), the book is about discovering yourself and how to create your future without being confined by the past. It's definitely done in a way that is unexpected and pretty vulgar, but I found the book to be an enjoyable read. I don't exctly know how to explain much more of it because it is really jumbled (which I like), but I will say that it was definitely something I'm glad I picked up. For that reason, I will be ordering more books by Palahniuk in the future (I really want to read Fight Club for that matter).
But first, as per a recommendation by faithful reader Tim, I will be starting American Gospel next, and although I'm not sure if I'll be done by next week, it is definitely something that you can look forward to hearing about.
Outside of that disclaimer, I think I really liked the book. The way that Palahniuk writes the book with each chapter taking place out of chronological order and no real plot is set out from the beginning was confusing at first, but by the end I was definitely into it. The book is also quite humorous from start to finish, and that makes it all the more enjoyable to read. As a kind of a plot summary for those who might be interested, Victor Mancini is a sex addict who makes money to take care of his mother by working at a colonial village as a historical reenactor and choking at various restaurants each night (people will send you money because they will then feel responsible for you after saving your life he finds out). Plus, there's also the point in the story when Victor begins to think that he is a Christ figure and vehemently denies it to the point that he begins to live by the motto "what would Jesus not do," and that (obviously) leads to some amoral behavior, with some pretty funny results.
Basically (without giving too much away), the book is about discovering yourself and how to create your future without being confined by the past. It's definitely done in a way that is unexpected and pretty vulgar, but I found the book to be an enjoyable read. I don't exctly know how to explain much more of it because it is really jumbled (which I like), but I will say that it was definitely something I'm glad I picked up. For that reason, I will be ordering more books by Palahniuk in the future (I really want to read Fight Club for that matter).
But first, as per a recommendation by faithful reader Tim, I will be starting American Gospel next, and although I'm not sure if I'll be done by next week, it is definitely something that you can look forward to hearing about.
No comments:
Post a Comment