A review by brennanlafaro
The Invention of Sound by Chuck Palahniuk

dark funny medium-paced

3.0

From the highs of Fight Club, Choke, and Haunted to the, well, less-than-highs of books like Tell-All and Beautiful You, Chuck Palahniuk has an infectious writing style. A style that makes even the less desirable stories read quickly and hold the reader’s attention, whether they want to give it up or not.

The Invention of Sound is no exception. Palahniuk’s stories tend to entertain and inform. Just try and read without learning how things work behind the scenes. Invention gives us a behind-the-scenes look at how sound effects in Hollywood are created and utilized, with some (hopefully) over-the-top embellishments designed to make the reader squirm in the way that only Chuck P can.

The ideas, specifically regarding just how much of the human experience can be bought and sold, are bigger and better than the characters. Often times this is the case in this writer’s books, but it seems more than ever, The Invention of Sound leaves us wanting to find out what happens next, but not particularly caring who it happens to.

If you like this author, you’ll enjoy this book as Adjustment Day served as something of a return to form and this book follows in its footsteps. As long as we refrain from holding it up to the books he was writing a decade ago, we’re going to have a good time, be entertained, and enjoy ourselves.