Sunday, November 2, 2008

Invisible Monster



Ooh... another great book by Chuck Palahniuk. He wrote Fight Club, and as you might expect there are fantastic twists in each of his books. I borrowed Invisible Monster from Rob, a fellow teacher, who thankfully has a refreshing perspective on literature. (The man has a background in literature but is teaching Math and Science. -It's a conundrum).

Invisible Monster is told from the perspective of a former model who had half her face shot off in a random free-way act of violence. In the months after the accident, she embarks on a quest with two interesting characters: one she-man, and one man with a serious identity problem... sexual and otherwise.

The story itself is fantastic, and there are lines that are so abruptly funny they rip the laughter from your throat. I found myself laughing in the most unexpected places even before my brain had a chance to process the fullness of the irony. Good stuff.

This, thankfully, was not Palahniuk's most disturbing book. They usually end, and I feel like I need to go read Elmo books or something. He has a way of showcasing human emotion and motivation in realistic, though sometimes depressing ways.

I've read many of his works, and by far, my most favorite is called Diary. I was actually in a stupor for about a week after reading it. I wasn't depressed, just absolutely captivated. It took that long, plus re-reading it one and a half more times to really absorb the plot twists. I would recommend it to nearly anyone: adult, that is.

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