Survivor: A Novel
by Chuck Palahniuk
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Book Reviews of Survivor: A Novel
Book Review: I vote to keep this book on the island..
Summary: 4 Stars
Don't judge a book by its title. This is not Homer's Odyssey. The "survivor" here is not an "action figure," but the hero as passive participant, as a victim of forces he perceives as larger than himself. Readers might benefit from knowing in advance two things: (1) When this book begins, the end is alrady in sight; in the pages that follow the central character of this dark comedy, Tender Branson, explains, as best he can, how he arrived at the point where the reader begins; (2) In the pages that follow -- that is, in Branson's autobiography -- we see a "hero" whose life is the result of forces he was powerless to alter. Branson does not create; at best, he preserves. Professionally, he cleans, and the book provides countless "tips" for removing the human stain in all its varities. Yet he is no friend of the human struggle for self-preservation and is not above recommending to others the suicide he finds for himself. (He operates an ad hoc suicide hotline that always prescribes suicide). So, why should readers bother with Branson? Tender Branson is the modern American pilgrim. He wants to live in the ideal society where life has its predictable rhythms, but recognizes that he cannot -- that the idyllic village is out of reach precisely because it cannot insulate itself from the larger world. Thrust into that world himself, he does what he knows: he works in the service of others and is finally led by them to capitalize on his childhood experience in the cult of the Creedish. That is not the path to self-realization and awareness. The pilgrim's path was, in this case, a poor education. Ultimately he strikes out on his own. By the book's end, and by definition its beginning, Branson has found his "free will," and opted to get out. A dark choice, but a choice just the same.
Book Review: Smoke with no fire
Summary: 3 Stars
Here's a question: if Fight Club hadnt existed what kinda reviews would Survivor get?Lets cut to the chase here. Yes, the social critique cuts deep as it does in other books the author has written too. Yes he delivers some hard hits on religion, the media, and societal hypocrisy, and yes you would have to really think hard to come up with many modern authors who are as merciless when they put us all under their microscope as he is. Yes the prose is "different" than what you'd mostly find out there. Yes the dripping sarcasm is present (as it was in Fight Club), yes the subtle irony is there too, yes the unique and hardcore sense of humor isnt absent either.
So why does this not work then? Well, for starters because the story is messy. Or because there is no character that really engages you in it like there was in...Fight Club. How many times have i mentioned the author's previous novel already? You get the point.
I do have the annoying suspicion that people feel either obliged to see this book in an overpositive view exactly because of its predecessor and simoultaneously afraid to be honest about how much they really liked it (or disliked it) for the same reason.
Would i reccomend "Survivor"? No, but I'd rather tell anyone to start from where the real juice is (which would, err, be Fight Club) and wait a while till the author redelivers the results of his massive and powerful potential.
I wont bother reviewing the story since many other reviewers have already done it but i'll repeat my warning: this book here is dodgy, folks. I forced myself through it and i was puzzled because i (obviously) was expecting something way, way, better.
All this doest mean i'm giving up on the author, of course not. I'm just a bit dissapointed by this particular effort.
Book Review: Another work that showcases Palahniuk's unique prose
Summary: 4 Stars
Palahniuk's one of those rare voices who sees what the masses can't or won't. His vision cuts through the hypocrisy with sharp wit and stark realism that can be, at times, sickening yet strangely compelling. The main protangonist is a man named Tender Branson, a former cult member with a unique name and something of a nihilistic outlook on life. What always impresses me when reading Palahniuk's writing is analysis of details about everyday life. We learn how to maintain an artificial garden and make it look real, we learn about social case workers and how to manipulate them, we learn about the big business known as tele-evangelism, and that's not all. We also meet Fertility Hollis, a character as strange, if not stranger, than Branson with unexplainable "powers" of perception. The plot is sometimes surprising, but the strength of Palahniuk's writing isn't the plot as the ending seemed a bit contrived to me. This is one of the few times I'll say this, but the plot doesn't matter here. It's the writing. Palahniuk writes like Harlan Ellison on acid or Kurt Vonnegut's evil brother and that's what is so mesmerizing. You can't help but be moved by Palahniuk's observations about society and his observations on the nature of people that sometimes read with a touch of surrealism. Like the Fight Club, he indicts a harsh world filled with people who are unable or unwilling to see what life is really about and for chasing phantom pleasures that ultimately leave you hollow inside. Ever wonder why you can't carry on a conversation with most people? Palahniuk'll give you several reasons and answers to questions you wish you'd thought to ask. As always, I prefer not to give away story specifics, but if you want to read a moving piece of literature about the human condition, then go get this book. Go now!Book Review: Very Amusing
Summary: 4 Stars
Chuck Palahniuk's writing style is very interesting. At times, he is so generically non-descriptive, that you'll be surprised what you're reading is even a novel. At other times--when he really means for it--his stark, minimalist approach is filled with so many effective tools to deliver his message that you can't help but read with absolute delight. The combination of the two is what makes this book all the more intriguing. Survivor reads much like a movie, if you can imagine that. The short, often fragmental sentences urge you to proceed further into this satirical, dark comedy about the curious life of an ex-cult member. For those of you who have seen Fight Club, you'll get a similarly rousing effect reading Survivor. Except there are no images--only the volatile narration of Tender Branson, Survivor's rendition of Tyler Durden. A combination of film-noir and satire, Survivor manages to have just as profound of an effect as Palahniuk's last novel. The book is quick and satisfying, filled with short, amusing chapters to pique your interesting for just the right amount of time.
The fact that it is highly reminiscent of Fight Club is no fault. The reason Chuck is dishing out successful novels like hotcakes is because he has a formula, and it works. Unlike most authors, he has managed to develop a distinguished writing style right from the get-go, dripping with humor and panache. Due to this, he has acquired a decent, loyal following, awaiting his every publication. Some say that with the release of Choke, his repetitive, dry behavior is wearing thin. This is debatable--but it's certain that when he released Survivor, his inventiveness was fresh and ruthlessly infective. It may not be for everyone, but I'd highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoyed Fight Club.
Book Review: Surviving This Life
Summary: 5 Stars
Then again, Chuck Palahniuk wrote another of his unconventional novels. I'm not talking that it starts in page 289 and chapter 47 and goes to 1. I'm talking about his thematic and the approach he uses to his characters. As in Fight Club nothing here is for sure, his world is sureal, his people outsiders.Survivor is the story of Tender Branson. He is the only survivor of the Creedish Death Cult. He's spent his simple and insignificant live easily. Nor great problems, neither exciting things. He was programmed to work for people as a slave somehow, doing houseworks. His life becomes upside down in the moment he realizes he is the only surviving member of the cult. Along with a woman, who has psychic powers he becomes a celebrity. But expect the unexpected. All in all, this is Palahniuk's world.
People who enjoyed his other novel, like Fight Club and Invisible Monsters, will adore this one. Everything is here again: catching plot, an outsider protagonist, smart sentences, quick dialogue. Many people complain that his novels are over and over the same thing. Well, it maybe true, but, in my opinion, it is the same GOOD thing all the time.
There is no middle term: either you love, or you hate. And , in my case, the word is love. I feel smart reading his sentences. I feel that he deeply undertands my generation, our fears and expectations. He knows how to put down in word what we like and what we loath, whitout giving a lecture.
I can't say I recommed his novels to everyone -- despite I love them. But he is too visceral for some people. To strong for some hearts & stomachs. But people who like him will have a great time with Survivor. It is an easy read, but not easy to forget.