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A review by seethinglloron
Invisible Monsters by Chuck Palahniuk
dark
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
I love Chuck Palahniuk. I love his prose, his obsession with the filthy and the gory and the absolutely batshit insane. This is all of that wrapped up in a tale about femininity, beauty, desire, gender, sexuality; and unfortunately, it did not land for me. I was with Chuck for much of the novel. Chuck lost me at the end.
I am willing to acquiesce a lot to the theming, the unreliable and unlikeable narrator, the terrible characters and their terrible ideas and their terrible lives. I do it all the time! This just crosses that fine line of absurdity into nonsense. If this novel was a work of art like some of Palahniuk's other work, perhaps I could look past the absolute gall of Palahniuk to write about trans women the way he does. Yes, it's transgressive. Yes, it's not really about trans women, but about something else. No, it doesn't save this train wreck.
Some of it is very fun in the fucked-up way Palahniuk's bullshit is fun, but not enough of it, and not for long enough.
I am willing to acquiesce a lot to the theming, the unreliable and unlikeable narrator, the terrible characters and their terrible ideas and their terrible lives. I do it all the time! This just crosses that fine line of absurdity into nonsense. If this novel was a work of art like some of Palahniuk's other work, perhaps I could look past the absolute gall of Palahniuk to write about trans women the way he does. Yes, it's transgressive. Yes, it's not really about trans women, but about something else. No, it doesn't save this train wreck.
Some of it is very fun in the fucked-up way Palahniuk's bullshit is fun, but not enough of it, and not for long enough.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Deadnaming, Transphobia, Medical trauma, and Injury/Injury detail