Book Review: Haunted

Another day, another book review. I really should consider diversifying the content that i post here.

Anyway, Haunted (2005) is a Novel by none other then Chuck Palahniuk, whom many may recognize as the author of That novel which was made into That Cult movie, but i am not going to talk about that at all.

Haunted, is a novel of stories, 23 short stories to be exact, structured in form of something called a Frame Story. The Novel is about a group of sixteen budding writers who have opted for a writers retreat where they can work on their Masterpieces of Story writing, poetry and screenwriting in complete seclusion, unencumbered by the obstacles of the real world. Hosted by an Enigmatic, Wheelchair bound person by the name of Mr. Whittier, the retreat provides all the modern amenities for the writers such as running hot and cold water and heating, along with enough canned food to last the duration of their stay, which is for the period of 3 months - a true writers paradise. But soon enough this paradise cracks and starts to crumble.

Throughout the narration, the resident refer to each other using nicknames like Duke of Vandals, Sister Vigilante and my personal favorite, Saint Gut-free. As the story progresses, it quickly becomes clear that most of the 'writers' can not put Pen on paper, instead they conspire among themselves to tell the story of their exploitation to the outer world once they are released,  demonizing their Hosts as the villain. And to do so, they set about vandalizing and sabotaging their retreat, which is an old theater. It is in this part the Black humor of the Novel shines through, as the reader is caught in conundrum of whether to laugh at the stupidity or to be genuinely shocked at the acts the writers commit to make themselves 'presentable' to the outside world as genuine victims. This efforts include from tame acts of flooding the toilets and wrecking the heating system, to ghastly acts like hacking of Finger and toes and in one case, a penis. The writers fantasize about the suffering they can inflict upon themselves, all the while preparing  a Villain in form of their host.

It is in between this madness, that each one of the writers narrates a tale, often a biographical account usually preceded by a short poem in free verse. The first such tale is the infamous "Guts" which start things of with (a very sick) bang. However the next few story are quite weak as the narration slowly establishes the madness. However, the later half of the novel really whips it up as Stories and the main narration ties up beautifully, revealing the different motivation of the writers to be present at the retreat, which are more often then not totally unrelated to their writing ambition, such as a reflexologist running away from the Mafia, and a mother in search of some answers about her daughter.

Overall, this is a very satisfying piece of Transgressive fiction, which dares to explore the some of the oddball sides of everyday life. The parts where the victims conspire and plot to 'Stage' their victimisation by a sadist Host were downright ingenious, as were the stories. I believe that it is an impressive and (if you dare to laugh) hilarious effort by author at taking potshots at the staged reality of the 'Reality' Shows flooding the TV networks these days.

PS: Please note that, despite the name and some of the stories having an supernatural or speculative element, this is NOT a horror novel. It may make you sick at times, but if you are looking for chills, this is not it.

Bottom Line: An impressive piece of Satire and transgressive fiction. A must read, if you can handle it.

Psudo Random trivia:

• The most talked about story from this Ensemble is undoubtedly, "Guts", which is about a teenager who loses a part of his digestive system thanks to an accident while ...... Masturbating. This story, which Palahniuk claims to be inspired from real event is said to be responsible for fainting of as many as 60 people during Book readings by the author.
• The same story was also responsible for a teacher losing his job, as he (rather unwisely) chose the story as reading material for his class
• Spookily enough, a Girl really did got injured (and later succumbed to those injuries) in an accident eerily similar to the one which the narrator has in "Guts".

Disclaimer: I write this reviews in good faith, i do not endorse or encourage the views presented in these works. Also i provide the links for additional information only and i am not associated with any of these sites in any way, and since these are external sites beyond my control, i cannot be held responsible for the content that you may find there.

Random Find of the day (or maybe the week/month/year)

From movie cliche archive

"You can always tell which nationality the United States and the popular media are currently most unhappy with because that nation sends all their villains to star in Hollywood movies during those times (e.g. Germans in the late 40's and 50's, Asians in the 60's and 70's, Soviets in the 70's and 80's and Middle Easterners in the 90's)"

Book Review: Something Happened

Something Happened (1974) is Joseph Heller's second novel after his seminal debut work Catch 22. Heller will always be remembered for Catch 22, which has overshadowed his other works, which is rather sad considering that Something happened is an as good, if not better Novel than Catch 22.
Heller dealt with the trauma of World war II with his scathing satire, and he now shifts his aim towards the great American Dream in Something Happened. A first person narration by a certain Bob Slocum, a middle aged, middle class American who glosses over the inadequacies of his life. Indeed, on first appearance, the novel appears to be a pseudo sequal to Catch 22 (The narrator even claims to have served in the army), but delve deeper into the world of Slocum and you realize its a much darker place inhabited not by the staccato of artillary fire, but the insecurities of the work place.

The protagonist is revealed, by his own admissions to be riddled with both perceived and actual shortcomings, as well as fallacies which he simply opts to overlook. He has a crumbling family made of an alcoholic wife, a rebellious teenaged daughter, an insecure younger son and mentally challanged son whom he can't wait to get rid off. He commits adultry without any remorse, and considers his wife inferior (and is sometimes thankful of the fact) for not doing the same and for not asking for divorce. He has intermittent quarell with his daughter, and takes great relish in destroying her by winning these petty arguments. Perhaps the only person in the family he sympathizes with is his son, but even he leaves him exasperated with certain 'tendencies' ( Which handing away his money to others, morbid fear of his Physical trainer, and the overwhelming insecurities, just like his father).


There is not much in the way of a plot, as the narration meanders its way as Bob glosses over his failures and events that transpire at his Home and office. His regret over not having bedded his hot co - worker at his first work place, and of not being allowed to make a speech at the convention of his company seem to aggrieve him more than others, since these incidents are brought up multiple times during the course of narration.

Although i am not an authority in this field, the narration reminds me of "The stream of consciousness" technique, given how it incessantly and spontaneously jumps from one event to the other. This, along with the narrators tendency to express the same thought multiple time makes the novel a challenging read, but this should not put one off, because Heller's brand of satire is sprinkled all over the place. Particularly incisive and sarcastic comments of the narrator are followed by a mocking "(Ha, ha)", even as the futility, unviability and ultimately, the falseness of the American Dream is brutally unleashed in this Master Piece

The Bottom line: Difficult but rewarding piece of satire, Must read for those who have read and liked Catch 22

The test Post

Every story has an Origin.

Just to set the tone of this blog, i start with a ripped of line. For the post itself, let me try something more creative (and hopefully original):


"Peace is temporary, war is permanent"