But if you’ve never read Palahniuk before, I’d say go for Rant first. But let’s call it what it is: bad writing that bashes the reader over the head with irrelevant facts about something only marginally connected to the narrative of the novel. Many people seem convinced that this constitutes “research” in the way Tom Wolfe used to demand of novelists, and they seem impressed by all that Palahniuk apparently learns and conveys for each book. In Snuff the same trick is exercised through constant, distracting discussions of porn industry “secrets” (such as taxonomies of techniques that porn starlets use to slow aging: breast-lifters vaginal-numbing creams), and in Survivor Palahniuk uses the same gag again, not only with household tips but also with psychological disorders. This plot element is a tired one that Palahniuk has exhausted to death. However, there are also areas that fail, such as the many boring “tips” for household chores. There are many things this book does well, such as its critique of American celebrity worship (one of my very favorite hot topics in general) and self-improvement drug abuse (particularly steroids). I also think I would have been more impressed had I read it earlier on in my Palahniuk arc, before I had struggled through the painful tedium of trashy books like Lullaby and Haunted. Survivor is not Chuck Palahniuk’s best, but I see why the Cult, his legion of rabid fans, loves it.
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