Snuff
by Chuck Palahniuk
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Book Reviews of Snuff
Book Review: So "Chuck" it's Boring
Summary: 2 Stars
I am (was?) a big fan of Chuck Palahniuk, but his works seem to be getting exponentially worse over time.
This book (I wouldn't call it a novel) is Chuck Palahniuk trying to be himself too hard. He tried to make a book that is entirely shock value, and it just got old and boring real quick. If I were to guess, I'd say he was under contract to crank out a book, and this is all he came up with. He even flushed out his word count by digging up every phrase for male masturbation that he could find, and using every one in the book, usually more than one at once, any time there was need to reference a man or men in general.
If you're a fan of Chuck's, you'll probably be disappointed, as this book won't make you think, and there are no real surprises or unexpected plot twists. The plot didn't feel close enough to real life to make the entire situation seem plausible, which is how he usually pulls you into his stories.
This felt like a short story dreamed up during a story telling exercise, stretched out into the length of a novel for no good reason. If you have a analytical mind like I do, you'll be shredding this story apart for its improbabilities and inconsistencies, which is usually something I don't do with Chuck's stories.
Overall, this is the first work of Chuck's that I was disappointed by, and thus the first time I've taken the time to write a review. If you're a fan of his, you're better off avoiding this one, lest you lose interest in him. If you just can't help yourself, see if you can't borrow it or get it from the library (unlikely), because its simply not worth paying for.
Book Review: His best book in a while
Summary: 4 Stars
Alright, so there are obviously more than a few people who didn't like this book. Fair enough. But for me, this was probably the best thing he's put out since Lullaby.
I've read every one of Chuck's books. And around the time he put out his travel book, Fugitives and Refugees, his novels began to morph. He put out a book of non fiction (Stranger than Fiction) and followed up with two novels that, for me, where his weakest. I speak of Haunted, and Rant.
These two books, he began to fiddle with novel structure. Writing one in the tradition of the Canterbury Tales, by fusing together a host of short stories. And writing the other in an oral biography form.
Anyway, back to Snuff. With Snuff, I felt like I was reading the long lost Chuck. It was his old style again, without the gilts and glamor of specialized structures. And sure, i can see how some people might find fault in this. Rather than growing as a writer, falling back on something he has done. But boy, does he do it well.
Snuff doesn't have the depth or resonance of his earlier works. But it's still a fun read. With Rant and Haunted, I found myself struggling to get involved in the story. With Snuff, I was immediately engaged.
So, to sum up, no, this is not his best novel, but I believe it to be his best is a long while. Where it lacks in social commentary and depth (though it is certainly present), it makes up for in grit, humor, shocks, and pure enjoyment.
A must read for any Chuck fan. And for anyone who hasn't read Chuck yet, you might want to start with Fight Club.
Book Review: Excellent Character Study from the Mind of Chuck
Summary: 5 Stars
In Snuff, Chuck Palahniuk visits the dark underbelly of the porn industry. While the subject matter of the novel may be coarse to some, the book is nevertheless a worthy edition to the body of Chuck's work. While the novel is a narrative of the making of an adult movie, it is also a character study which reveals much about man's search for identity in this world.
Told from the point of view of three actors in the movie, Mr. 72, Mr. 137, and Mr. 600, the story explores how each man is trying to either reinvent himself and find out who he really is. Mr. 72 is a virtual unknown that believes that the star of the movie, Cassie Wright, is his long lost mother. Mr. 137 is a former television star hoping that his part in this movie will remove a past stigma and relaunch his career. Finally, Mr. 600, is an aging adult film star who hopes to get some redemption from a perceived guilt in his past. As all three tell their stories from their own point of view, the reader is introduced to Sheila, the talent wrangler, with a hidden agenda of her own.
It is interesting to learn about these characters through their stories as well as through their perceptions of each other.
The book moves on at a fast pace and can be read in a short amount of time. The writing is signature Chuck right down to the shocking end and twist of events. I can understand that some may take issue with the subject matter, but that is what makes Chuck's fans love him so much -- his raw, in your face storytelling that will live inside you for a long while.
Book Review: Downright okay
Summary: 3 Stars
Im what you might call a rabid Chuck Palahniuk fan: Ive read everything he has written and reccommended his work to all of my friends. So on the day that "Snuff" came out, naturally I had to buy it and read it all in one sitting.
And as a rabid fan, I found it to be just okay. The concept of the story in and of itself is great, and the little side notes and tips that the characters drop along the way are neat too. The biggest problem was that none of the characters were... gripping. In all of his other books, no matter how messed up and sick the characters were, you felt like you KNEW them, you loved them. In this one the characters just didn't seem to pop as much. They weren't hateable, but certainly not as memorable as, say, Rant.
The other problem that I had with this book was that the ending was a little bit too predictable. Now, in all of his other books, Palahniuk leads you to the end in such a way that you put it all together a page before its revealed. It dawns on you just in time to end with a big "AH! AH HAH!" In "Snuff", you kinda saw it coming from a mile away. It could be that Palahniuk wanted you to know right away, but it felt sorta predictable.
All in all, it was a decent book. If you're a hardcore fan you will probably hate it, but if this is one of the first of his that you're reading, you will probably enjoy it. For a really great read, go for "Rant" instead.
Book Review: The first Palahniuk novel that was a true let-down
Summary: 1 Stars
I haven't read all of Chuck's novels, but I have read most (Rant, Haunted, Fight Club, Lullaby, Diary, Choke, and now Snuff). Choke was the only one that wasn't thrilling the whole way through, and even it brought a surprise ending that made the whole long journey worth it.
Snuff, however, seemed completely pointless. I didn't connect with any of the characters, there was no twist that I didn't see coming, and even the twists that did catch me by surprise still left me feeling nothing but indifference. The fact is, Chuck didn't take enough time to develop these characters, so when anything happened to them I felt nothing at all. No sympathy, no humor, no excitement, no nothing.
Every author writes a dud at least once. At least, every author whose work I've ever taken the time to get to know. So far Snuff has been Palahniuk's only dud. If you're a fan of him and want to read it for completion's sake, go ahead. I finished it in two days, despite my boredom, so it won't be too much effort to plow through the 197 pages. But if you're just getting into Palahniuk's work, take my advice and read either Fight Club or Rant instead. Fight Club is a classic, and Rant left me almost physically exhausted by the end because of how mysterious and mind-blowing it is. Personally I prefer Rant, but Fight Club is a great place to start. Just steer clear of Snuff until you just have to read it ;)