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Joined: Tue January 01, 2013 6:03 pm Posts: 9359 Location: Washington State
This tweet and a lot of the replies remind me of The Circle in a bad way.
This one for example:
Is full-on Mae and her "These people didn't vote for me. Why do they want me dead?" line of thinking.
And I totally get that the thread is mostly sarcasm but there's truth in the sarcasm and that's what sucks about twitter. Really more than twitter at this point, with so many people saying you're the worst ever if you x instead of y. This is almost fascinating and I'd love to read some articles about it but I also want to not waste the time reading something that would probably make me upset anyway. huh.
Joined: Tue January 01, 2013 6:03 pm Posts: 9359 Location: Washington State
durdencommatyler wrote:
bune wrote:
You've got to say more than that, especially after that wet fart of an ending.
What would you like me to elaborate on?
Really anything in the last third would be great. The part with the brown recluse spiders for one. The part where pretty much everyone turned out to be in "it" for something other than their initial purpose for another. That wet fart of an ending where they kind of introduced the president but maybe didn't but I'm pretty sure they did and then it just ends where you'd expect a new chapter to start.
And let's wonder at what the countries that surround America were thinking during this whole episode. You're saying that not a single one of them looked at the upheaval of a modern society and thought to themselves, "hey, now's the perfect time to knock them out." Not a single one? Not Russia. Not any of the -stans. Not any of the many groups with no country affiliation. Not even Canada or Mexico. Not even to be like "let's take Alaska/Hawaii while they're busy". For all the world-building that he did - and it was an interesting world - there just didn't seem to be much of it beyond our borders.
Oh and the part in the PNW was kind of cool because I literally walked around those streets during lunch when I worked in Portland. Also depressingly true with the racism, but at least that's more on the eastern side of the states and Idaho.
To be clear, bune, I don't think it's a flawless book. It has weaknesses. The ending being one of them. But Chuck's never been great at endings. I like the final statement he makes at the end but it could have been better executed. The book is also about 20 pages too long. He could have cut some of the fat out of the middle and kept a stronger pace.
The book does address Canada and Mexico, though. It doesn't go into Game of Thrones details about their reactions but it is absolutely addressed. The lack of global focus doesn't bug me in the slightest. Mostly because it's a satiric look at America, not at the world. The focus is properly placed on what makes America dysfunctional.
The brown recluse thing was awesome. Chuck is at his full-throated best when taking on toxic masculinity.
Like I said before, I think this is Chuck's best book in a decade, for sure. It's top tier Palahniuk, for me. I'd rank it in the top 5 for sure, maybe top 3. He's taking on themes he's tackled before but from a much more rounded and mature perspective. The humor is biting and earned. There are meaningful observations. I really loved it. Again, not perfect. It sags in the middle and the ending lacks punch but the good overwhelms the bad, I think.
Joined: Tue January 01, 2013 6:03 pm Posts: 9359 Location: Washington State
See, that's why I wanted to hear your thoughts because you pulled stuff out that I missed.
I remember a small bit about Canada/Mexico now that you mention it. My complaint there is more that his world-building just ended before my own, I guess.
The bit about the brown recluse was great, I agree about that, but the part that I couldn't figure out is...what was she giving head to if it was rotting off? The logistics of the scenes was strange. I did enjoy the ripping off part though, that was satisfying.
I might read it again, or at least listen to the audiobook, just to see it again with a different take.
See, that's why I wanted to hear your thoughts because you pulled stuff out that I missed.
I remember a small bit about Canada/Mexico now that you mention it. My complaint there is more that his world-building just ended before my own, I guess.
The bit about the brown recluse was great, I agree about that, but the part that I couldn't figure out is...what was she giving head to if it was rotting off? The logistics of the scenes was strange. I did enjoy the ripping off part though, that was satisfying.
I might read it again, or at least listen to the audiobook, just to see it again with a different take.
There are several scenes leading up to the removal of the member that detail how limp and disfigured the thing is becoming (I love the scene where the doctor looks at it through the hole in the curtain). Palahniuk sets it up so nicely. Charlie doesn't even understand what's happening, he just thinks he's had too much sex. Fucking typical. And I love how Palahniuk shows how easily men are manipulated by oral sex. The logistics are a little weird but it didn't bother me because, again, it's satire and it's not meant to be realistic. It's extreme, meant to make the reader laugh while cringing. The specifics (or physics) of it aren't as important as the impact. But I agree, it is a little confusing when you stop and actually try to imagine/understand it.
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