Book review: Pygmy by Chuck Palahniuk
I’m six chapters into this book and can’t go on. Supposedly, the plot picks up later, something about the Pygmy terrorist kid trying to win the science fair so he can take down Washington with his explosive project. I don’t care. I won’t read any further.
I’m a long time Palahniuk fan but this is garbage; let’s be honest. Writing an entire book in broken pygmy language makes for a good joke, as in: “I’m working on a book about a pygmy terrorist. Wouldn’t it be funny if the whole thing was in mixed up pygmy narration? [laughs all around],” but it doesn’t make for an enjoyable read. Not unless you’re one of those types that pretentiously enjoys the unenjoyable. You know, the type that wears shorts in the winter and then pretends that they aren’t cold or uses the hottest pepper sauce and acts like everything is cool.
Apparently, a lot of Palahniuk’s fans fit this mold. Looking over other reviews I feel like the little boy pointing out that the emperor has no clothes. I imagine Chuck saying to a confidant “my fans are dumb teenagers and angst filled peons. They’ll buy any shit I put out as long as it has some creative violence and they can pretend it’s artistic. Watch this…”
If I’m wrong and Palahniuk really was genuinely putting forth effort here, I say (after a chuckle): always next time Chuck. This doesn’t work or even begin to pass as something worth spending my time on.
I am grateful for the die-hard fans though, really. I can still dump this book online, used, for nearly what I paid for it new–suckers!
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I have never been able to finish a Chuck Palahniuk novel and now I just save myself the bother of even picking them up. I think you are absolutely right about his “pretending to be artistic”, I just think he started a long time ago.
Pygmy is my first Palahniuk novel. And I’ll tell you from the beginning I just wanted to get through it so I could try another book. this one did kinda suck. so im hoping if i pick another one it wont. I will either pick Fight Club to see why the movie ended up so good (good producer?, good actors?, or good novel?), or Choke since its the latest one to make it to film. I read and article about Palahniuk in my boyfriend’s Playboy…and it interested me. I hope I’ve found a great writer, but his book Pygmy is not a good seller to this hope.
Fight Club is pretty good. The movie also was good, but there are just more complexities and plot twists in the book. (That’s the only Palahniuk book I’ve read.) I saw the movie Choke as well. It was … different, but it didn’t inspire me to read the book.
I’d recommend Rant, Survivor, Invisible Monsters, and Choke (in that order). If you like those you may enjoy the others (with the exception of Pygmy). I enjoyed Fight Club the movie over the book. There are different complexities as Olga mentioned but Fincher really did improve upon the book in his interpretation– much of which is only appreciated through multiple views and dvd commentary. I need to watch Fight Club again it’s been a while….
I didn’t see Lullabye mentioned here – I have to say it’s a fantastic novel and I’m surprised it wasn’t made into a film before Choke was.
i had to check the internet to see if i got a dud copy of the pygmy book. it’s impossible to read and getting into chapter two i give up. i don’t know how it was published unless his fans are guaranteed to buy anything he does. i fought to finish fight club, but that’s only because i love the movie.
think i might try rant or survivor next. thanks for the recommendation.