"Invisible Monsters by Chuck Palahniuk" Absolutely Mental
Give me gore. Flash. Give me vanity. Give me insanity. Flash. That motif of the photographer begging Shannon for different emotions is recalled and recalled until you're playing it in your head like you're also modeling for some random photoshoot. I'll be honest, I've never read a Chuck Palahniuk novel before, though I did watch Fight Club for what it's worth, and the reason I started reading this book was for one reason, and one kind of ridiculous reason only, Panic! at the Disco.
Time To Dance, is an energetic fun song, that fuses electronic synths on the background and the classic pop-punk guitars you're bound to find in any other scene band of the era. A track on Panic! at the Disco's debut album, A Fever You Can't Sweat Out, I absolutely adored the song, and so as an awkward pre-pubescent teen I was eager to memorize all of the lyrics, because frankly while the song was indeed fun and oddly catchy, it made zero sense to me.
That was my first encounter with Invisible Monsters, as that Panic! At the Disco song was based off of it, and I had actually read many spoilers to the book years ago before I dared to even touch this one. Luckily for me, the book is still so incredibly confusing and convoluted with what I've seen people describe as classic Chuck Palahniuk twists and turns that it never really ruined my experience. While in a larger context some might not enjoy this book for being too samey as the rest of Palahniuk's work, as a standalone book, I can say I was absolutely enraptured.
What stands out to me most is the snarky, cynical narration of Shannon. I mean it's nice to read about good people sometimes, but after reading this novel you'll come to realize that every single person here is as fucked up and connected in the oddest ways possible. From Shannon's parents buying expired food to stuff up pigs and sell them off before the jig is up, or to the oddly unsettling parents that exist in the wake of Shane's "death", it all just screams insane to me.
Like, you'll start to feel bad for Shannon, but then she'll go on some weird tangent about how she's so jealous of her dead brother, and then once the truth is finally revealed all you see is that it's just a web of debauchery and people running away from the invisible monsters they've become. Will this novel confuse you? For sure, but that's kind of the point, it's very much designed in a way that is not linear, and it should be keeping you on your toes as you start to question how reliable Shannon is as a narrator, and whether or not some characters are one and the same.
On a side note: I'm not quite sure what to make of the inclusion of both queer and transgender themes in this novel? Like on hand there's a lot of visibility to go around, but at the same time, what the fuck. In terms of shock value, this novel tends to thrive off of it pretty heavily, and that general shock factor is what makes it so riveting, but at times you do start to wonder if the shock factor is really necessary, or just to make the reader aghast.
Final Score: 85/100
I truly don't want to spoil this book, as I do think it's special, and I love it. It's refreshing to just read from people who are vain, selfish, cruel and in general just kind of crazy. I pretty much read the entire novel, at least the original version, in like 3 to maybe 4 hours? I stopped after about 100 pages but once I picked up the book again I just kept on flipping the pages, trying to figure out what happened next, and when did it actually happen in this odd mishmash of vignettes from Shannon's past mixed with some descriptions that are best left on the pages I found them. Overall, a fantastic read, it won't really change your worldview on anything, or keep you addicted for months, but it contains some great one-liners that I adore, and in general it's a fun and captivating read while it lasts.
That was my first encounter with Invisible Monsters, as that Panic! At the Disco song was based off of it, and I had actually read many spoilers to the book years ago before I dared to even touch this one. Luckily for me, the book is still so incredibly confusing and convoluted with what I've seen people describe as classic Chuck Palahniuk twists and turns that it never really ruined my experience. While in a larger context some might not enjoy this book for being too samey as the rest of Palahniuk's work, as a standalone book, I can say I was absolutely enraptured.
What stands out to me most is the snarky, cynical narration of Shannon. I mean it's nice to read about good people sometimes, but after reading this novel you'll come to realize that every single person here is as fucked up and connected in the oddest ways possible. From Shannon's parents buying expired food to stuff up pigs and sell them off before the jig is up, or to the oddly unsettling parents that exist in the wake of Shane's "death", it all just screams insane to me.
Like, you'll start to feel bad for Shannon, but then she'll go on some weird tangent about how she's so jealous of her dead brother, and then once the truth is finally revealed all you see is that it's just a web of debauchery and people running away from the invisible monsters they've become. Will this novel confuse you? For sure, but that's kind of the point, it's very much designed in a way that is not linear, and it should be keeping you on your toes as you start to question how reliable Shannon is as a narrator, and whether or not some characters are one and the same.
On a side note: I'm not quite sure what to make of the inclusion of both queer and transgender themes in this novel? Like on hand there's a lot of visibility to go around, but at the same time, what the fuck. In terms of shock value, this novel tends to thrive off of it pretty heavily, and that general shock factor is what makes it so riveting, but at times you do start to wonder if the shock factor is really necessary, or just to make the reader aghast.
Final Score: 85/100
I truly don't want to spoil this book, as I do think it's special, and I love it. It's refreshing to just read from people who are vain, selfish, cruel and in general just kind of crazy. I pretty much read the entire novel, at least the original version, in like 3 to maybe 4 hours? I stopped after about 100 pages but once I picked up the book again I just kept on flipping the pages, trying to figure out what happened next, and when did it actually happen in this odd mishmash of vignettes from Shannon's past mixed with some descriptions that are best left on the pages I found them. Overall, a fantastic read, it won't really change your worldview on anything, or keep you addicted for months, but it contains some great one-liners that I adore, and in general it's a fun and captivating read while it lasts.
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