Invisible Monsters: A Novel

One of the craziest, most perverse stories I have ever read. Not for the meek, but if your up for it, its incredible...Definitely one of his best books

The beginning through almost the middle of the book I was on the fence about whether or not I was enjoying it. Then, PLOT TWIST. Absolutely fun and exciting book! I love Chuck Palahniuk’s books and this one is in the top 5.

Palahniuk's books are like dangerously wild individuals from the same family. They all have their own quirks and twitches, but you can see the resemblance.Many reviewers of Palahniuk (especially those here) try to judge his writing in comparative terms. ("not as good as Fight Club" or "better than Choke") Palahniuk is, unfortunately, a victim of his own skill, because although his texts are certainly their own stories, they do have remarkably similar tones (e.g. he sprinkles his text with odd/unusual facts as a backdrop for the odd/unusual action). As a result, they polarize the audience quite well. Like one book, and you're likely to enjoy them all.That having been said, let me add my own opinion to the mix: this book is Chuck's best to date (note: I haven't read Diary).All of his books are, to some extent, about identity crises. In this case, it is the identity crisis of ex-model Shannon, whose jaw is blown off in an unusual auto accident. She goes on a soul-quest of sorts with transgendered queen Brandy, and a few other people with similarly odd problems. What follows is a tangled, twisted, and tantalizing tale of drugs, sex, love, loss, and hope.This time, the style of the book is tailored after movie-esqe terms (like "flash forward" and "jump cut"), giving the text a cinematic quality that works well with the subject matter (it also, for you literature fans, makes for a far more subtle metaphor than you'd expect). The flashbacks and the dialogue and the incidents with Shannon's parents and modeling peers are all as well-crafted as an insightful and hilariously filmed movie scene.Some of the reviewers here complain about the "soap opera" quality of the book, to which I say, "go read the funny pages." There are, true, melodramatic moments, but they are well-honed, well-placed, and, by God, necessary. The story's many threads tie together neatly and superbly by the film's violent and firey conclusion, and true to Chuck's form (with the exception of Choke), not a word of the book is extraneous or unnecessary.Other people complain that the novel doesn't answer the question it poses, nor does it rise above the subject matter it scorns. Although I will concede that these statements are half-true, they are simply part of Palahniuk's form, and for his audience, part of his charm. If you want someone to deliver polite and pat answers, then read, I don't know, Danielle Steel.Besides, Palahniuk does offer solutions--he just makes you search for them, makes you assemble them on your own. Neither does he treat his subject matter with wishy-washy ambivalence, but with unflinching honesty and realism (although reading this book, you may find it hard to compare it to any kind of reality with which you're familiar). His spare, brutal, and beautiful writing clarifies the brutal and beautiful nature of his story.So, if you want bite-sized literature with a sweet moral center, go somewhere else. This book is candy, sure, but it's the kind that gets all over you.

Book was pristine and arrived in a jiffy. Outstanding service!

Fight Club was great. Lullaby was amazing. Pygmy was not worth reading. Snuff was mediocre, but at least better than Pygmy. And all of them are more alike than different - a possibly interesting hook of a premise, characters who are self-absorbed and damaged, a reliable number of plot twists, and a focus on the less attractive aspects of the human, both physiological and psychological which is played for humor.Invisible Monsters is much like Snuff in that it has a passable story line, about 3 plot twists, and is full of sadly damaged people. On one score it outdoes Snuff, in that it takes anything physically repulsive, and turns it up 2 notches.Invisible Monsters is somewhat timely, in that it takes on the beauty standard, the beauty industry, and our obsessive gaze on feminine beauty at a time when this is being discussed and analyzed in the larger media.I will not bother recounting the story line here, since numerous reviewers do that for you. As for the plot twists, they add to the enjoyment of the book, but despite being "twists," can be seen coming from a ways back. The characters are passably interesting, but only insofar as they are self-absorbed "monsters" each fighting their way around an obsession with physical and sexualized beauty in their lives.Would I recommend it? Only if the airport newstand is sold out of everything but romance novels. Honestly, there are better uses for your time.