Snuff may have been a trifle, but it was a trifle that I sped through in two or three days. I have to honestly state that Haunted was my least favorite Palahniuk book yet, on the whole. And to be fair, and not to be rude, I have to say that the previous short story collection reviewed here, Dead Boys by Richard Lange, is a far more compelling read. At over 400 pages, it's the longest Palahniuk book.Īnd it's really more a collection of short stories than it is a novel. I do believe Haunted would make for a better HBO Miniseries (which could potentially be awesome) but we will have to see how they manage to translate this very long book into a film. Further, the novel also reads like my rejected idea for a reality television show, Most Popular Writer, which I pitched to an executive at the Bravo Network who informed me that "writing is an inherently solitary act and not interesting for television viewers." I beg to differ, as Haunted, like Choke, Fight Club, Survivor, and Rant (and I may even be missing a couple) has just now recently been announced as an upcoming film with a director attached (announced a day after my review of Snuff). Not anything big and plot-oriented, just, existing, within this strange space. Like A Long Way Down and Crossing California, Haunted relies on a large cast of characters that are really not all that different from one another (in their motivations, at least) trying to do, something. However, more to the point, Haunted is the third novel reviewed on Flying Houses which I will compare to my first novel, further making the point that my first novel probably does deserve to be published on some level. Wikipedia also highlights a couple interesting tidbits-the novel is actually about the "battle for credibility" that has resulted in things like this very blog (easy, immediate, online publishing)-that, and he listened to "Bela Lugosi's Dead" as inspiration while writing-which I find hilarious and awesome. It is interesting to note that Palahniuk claims this book is a reaction to the "reality television" culture so prevalent over the last decade or so. The "novel" element occassionally shows flashes of brilliance. These are always the highlights of the chapter. And the third part is the short story itself, told by a character. The second part is a poem, about the person who is about to tell a story.
The first part is the "novel" itself-a story about 15 or 16 people coming together in this dark, scary house for a so-called "writer's retreat" where they will spend 3 months in isolation creating their masterpiece that they never have the time for in their busy, workaday lives. Really, it is a novel, but it's a very strangely formatted one.
The short stories are the most worthwhile parts of it. Let me just say: I don't think it's fair to call this book a novel. The front cover of Haunted contains the words "a novel" beneath the title.
0 kommentar(er)
