Chuck Palahniuk, the author of the novel Survivor, has an uncanny way of using sarcasm to make light of very serious situations. This entire novel is actually a satire. He proceeds to mock the weak, ridicule organized religion and bits and pieces of society in general. I admire him for these reasons, not for the harshness of his words but simply because a lot of what he says seems to have some truth.
The narrator, or main character of this novel is a jack of all trades. I especially liked the way he describes the many tidbits of common sense that have helped him get by in life such as: using toothpaste to fill bullet holes, spraying hairspray on fake flowers to prevent fraying, the right and wrong ways to eat a lobster, and using clear nail polish to fill small holes in clothing, among many others. Id like to think of him as a disturbed boy-scout-man. I also liked the descriptions he gave of the marble floors, wavering music, and flowers while he stood inside of the Mausoleum. I personally have never been in a mausoleum before but he gave me a pretty good general idea of what the inside of one looks like.
Ok, back to the sarcasmPeople who usually call a crisis hotline are in dire need of attention and a few nice words, right? Well that is just the opposite of what the main character, who happens to work for one gives his callers. Throughout a large portion of the book, suicidal and depressed people are constantly calling him and the most he tells them is to simply just pull the trigger, or, cmon, I have to work in the morning and its late, just shoot yourself. I mean, I guess you really have to have a good sense of humor or put yourself in a hotline workers shoes. I found it quite funny despite the fact that it really wouldnt be a good thing for some one to tell suicidal people to just shoot themselves. This kind of satirical humor appears all throughout this novel.
All in all, I found this book quite amusing. I would rate this one an 8 overall. I recommend this novel to the open-minded and people who enjoy a good satire. I havent read his novel Fight Club but I have seen the movie. Honestly, I didnt enjoy it as much as I thought I would.
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