emawhin's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
elibrary's review
3.0
This book feels impossible to review and even more impossible to recommend to anyone for its sheer horror. I have read a lot of horror, but this was on a different level of disturbing. For several of the stories I could understand the satirical nature, but felt like it went too far to make a point (namely the depiction of transphobia in Speaking Biterness). I can appreciate this book for what it is, but holy shit.
tissuepenny's review
challenging
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
fuathling's review
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Excrement, Vomit, Child death, Sexual content, Body horror, Pedophilia, Sexual harassment, Blood, Murder, and Death
Moderate: Abortion and Pregnancy
mirobug's review
4.0
I couldn't put it down, but also never want to listen to it again. Somehow I thought listening would be easier, but it wasn't. Now I have the words lingering in my mind in an all together different way.
I saw someone describe the book as "an inside joke between you and the author: one that makes perfect sense to you, but it would be confusing to try and explain it to anyone else" and I think that's fitting.
The whole story is frustratingly pointless but fascinating nonetheless. The characters, though characatures, are not entirely impossible to imagine today, which is the most frightening element to the whole book.
Its definitely gross, but not in some ridiculously horrifying way that'd give you nightmares.
I saw someone describe the book as "an inside joke between you and the author: one that makes perfect sense to you, but it would be confusing to try and explain it to anyone else" and I think that's fitting.
The whole story is frustratingly pointless but fascinating nonetheless. The characters, though characatures, are not entirely impossible to imagine today, which is the most frightening element to the whole book.
Its definitely gross, but not in some ridiculously horrifying way that'd give you nightmares.
shysheepys's review
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This sure was something?? I don't know where to even begin. An absolute adventure that is gross and gross and gross. But at the same time, I really wanted to know what was going to happen to the group as a whole, so I kept going until the end. Trigger warnings for uh, everything?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Addiction, Alcoholism, Blood, Body horror, Animal death, Death, Drug use, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Violence, Sexual content, Cursing, Pedophilia, Body shaming, Cannibalism, Child abuse, Child death, Drug abuse, Dysphoria, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Gore, Grief, Incest, Injury/Injury detail, and Vomit
lulucent's review
challenging
dark
funny
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Palahniuk is a master of giving you the ick and revealing the dirty side of humanity we all know exists within us but don’t want to admit. Though I loved how Palahniuk manages to showcase so many different voices of writing to give us stories within a story and everything was visceral and done really well, it ultimately wasn’t for me because of how much ick he managed to get out of me. And also, not a huge fan of the whole “is this reality of fiction” technique being used here, though I suppose that it is precisely Palahniuk’s whole point to create and maintain the murky boundaries.
fleabagb's review
3.0
I feel like this could very well be four stars for me, I just need to read it again in like a year. it's a shitload to digest but a handful of the stories really had me!
psykobilliethekid's review
5.0
Like a twisted version of The Canterbury Tales, Haunted brings you the stories of several "travelers" on their journey to find enlightenment and the epiphany for the perfect novel. Took me a while to finish this one but it was worth it!
yourlocalvirgo's review
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.0
The beginning was ROUGH. Almost DNF'd after the 4th chaper. But, around the halfway mark, the storied got progressively better. Probably my favorite work by Palahniuk!