Third Quarter Outside Reading Book Review

Invisible Monsters by Chuck Palahniuk. W. W. Norton & Company, Inc., 1999.

Genre: Fiction

The novel is about a fashion model who becomes disfigured in an accident while driving. She is left with no lower jaw. While recovering in the hospital, she meets Brandy Alexander, "The Queen Supreme", who is just one operation away from becoming a real woman. She and Brandy leave the hospital and travel around the country, visiting Open Houses of expensive homes and steal prescription drugs and sell them on the street. They are also accompanied by a man. During the trips to different homes and towns, Brandy changes the identity of her partners. The whole story is about re-inventing yourself, and leaving the past in the past.

"A twisted soap opera that not only desensitized individuals should find hilarious.... A fascinating narrative.... Palahniuk's sentence structure, rhythm and comic timing rattle off the tongue like snapping gum.... Palahniuk succeeds in cutting open each character, transforming each one in a way only his clever mind could invent." -Jessica Ricci, Fox News Online

This book was unlike any other that I have read, which is probably a huge part of the reason why I enjoyed it so much. The story jumps around a lot and at first is hard to figure out what is happening, but it makes you want to read more to understand it fully. I have not read any of Palahniuk's other books, but I have seen the movies done for two of his other stories, Fight Club and Choke. Palahniuk's style is very evident in the movies of his other books and the book I read. He likes to push boundaries, make you laugh, and make you cringe. The stories are all twisted in some weird, uncomfortable way, but make you want to read further.

"Still spinning on the floor, the rifle points at me, points at Brandy.

Another thing is no matter how much you think you love somebody, you'll step back when the pool of their blood edges up too close.

Except for all this high drama, it's a really nice day. This is a warm, sunny day and the front door is open to the porch and the lawn outside." (15)

For my ORB, I was stuck between choosing two books, this one, and The Bell Jar by Silvia Plath. I was reading through someone's blog and they had put a short story called Guts by Chuck Palahniuk. I started to read, and it was the grossest, and weirdly interesting story I'd ever read, which I thought was awesome. Finally, I would do the ORB, because I had interest in this short story and I really enjoyed the movies based on the author's books. I always love reading books that really push every button they can, for example I loved Running with Scissors by Augusten Burroughs, which is slightly similar to Invisible Monsters. Now, I can't wait to read more of Palahniuk's books.

Growing up

        At one time or another, everyone has to grow up.  Treasure Island, written by Robert Louis Stevenson, shows the coming of age and the growth of protagonist, Jim Hawkins.  Jim evolved from an inexperienced and naïve young man, into a man that learned the realities of dealing with pirates and hunting for treasure, and of the dangerous and calloused life as a sea farer. 

        We are introduced to Jimas an obedient son of an innkeeper. He has spent his whole life living in Bristol, England and hasn't had much world experience.  When Pew, the blind, but still fearded pirate comes into the inn, Jim becomes struck with fear and runs to his mom for protection.  "... I was so utterly terrified of the blind beggar that I forgot my terror of the captain, and as I opened the parlour door, cried out the words he had ordered in a trembling voice." (30)Living his entire childhood in Bristol England in the inn with his family he didn't see a lot of different things and people, and when the pirates started coming to the Inn, he was frightened easily.  He ran to his mother for support, and when they went on the trip, he had no one to completely look after him, except for himself.  

        As the story progresses, jim gains cleverness, courage and becomes more mature through his actions and his adventures. When someone is mature, they take responsibility for their actions, and learn from mistakes.  He was also forced to mature with all of the adventures treasure hunting brought, because he was not sure who could be trusted, since many of the men were Flint's old crew members, and were planning a mutiny against the rest of the crew.  Jim had to improvise and act upon his instincts to save his life.

        Some people grow up sooner than others because of the life that they live.  Sometimes they are forced into growing up to survive.  A lot of Jim's actions on the island were impulsive, and when they worked to his advantage, he was always very humbled by the experiences and never   became egotistical.  Jim's spontaneous personality worked in his favor.

"Then it was that there came into my head the first of tyhe mad notions that ontributed so much to save our lives.  If six men were left by Silver, it was plain  our party could not take and fight the ship; and since only six were left, it was equally plain that the cabin party had no present need of my assistance.  It occurred  to me a once to go ashore.  In a jiffy I had slipped over the side,  and curled up in the fore-sheets of the nearest boat, and almost at the same moment she shoved off." (91)

To learn and grow, you have to try new things, and explore.  Jim had a few seconds to decide to go on the boat that was taking the pirates to the shore.  His decision was wise, although at the time was unsure of the consequences.

        As the adventure unfold on the island, Jim makes more bold moves, and even tells the mutineers to refer him as Captain.  " 'Well,' said I, 'I've come aboard to take possession of this ship, Mr.Hands; and you'll please regard me as your captain until further notice.' " (159)  Jim here shows how he has matured and is looking for control over the vicious pirates and looks for the pirate aboard the ship to call him captain.  Here he is trying to gain respect and take the upper hand on the situation.

        There are many elements that go into someone's maturity and for Jim, it was his spontaneous ideas that shaped him and the closing of the story.  His character was very defined and had more focus upon the Hispaniola's departure from Treasure Island.

Summer Essay

The sun beat down in the farm hand's backs as they packed the grain into the wagon. George was showing the new farm help around, "This here is our job. Pick up those grain bags, and pile 'em onto that wagon. Bag after bag, day after day." Tom Buchanan, a man in his mid thirties watched the men work. "Well, git ta work! He don't pay us to stand 'round watchin'!" Tom quickly jumped to work, picking up one bag after another. "So, where you from anyhow? You don't look like you lifted this much in yer entire life!" George noticed.

Tom's face grew red, "I'm from New York. I moved West after my life turned upside down. I gambled all of my money away, and need a job to support my family, and this was the only work I could find around these parts."

"I see," said George. He wiped the sweat from his forehead. "So, New York, what did you do there?"

"Well, I lived in the wealthy section of town with my wife and my daughter. I also had a mistress on the side, and when Daisy found out, everything started spiraling downwards. Myrtle, my mistress, ended up getting hit by a car and killed, and my friend Gatsby was shot. We moved away, because there was too much to remember. How about you? Where are you from?"

George got a nervous look on his face, "I travelled around with this other man, Lennie, working on various farms. The last place I was at, he got into a lot of trouble with the Boss' son, because he was real dumb and doesn't know any better. He was different, and killed the lady. Not because he was mean, but because he didn't know any better. He ran off, and the farm came after him, going to kill him. But he was scared. I ended up shooting him myself though. I still think about it all the time." George didn't speak for a while, and worked harder, trying to get his mind off of Lennie.

The men worked a while longer before Tom spoke, "I'm sorry to hear that. I know how it is to lose someone you're close to. It was probably for the better though, it sounds." George kept silent. "I'm sorry," Tom said. "I probably shouldn't be sticking my nose where it doesn't belong."

"It's alright. I did it because I was Lennie's only friend and he felt calm before he died. It really was for the better. But we had this dream of owning some land and a house and not having to work for someone else the rest of our lives. But I always knew in the back of my mind that it was only a dream." Tom felt George's pain. He too had seen his fair share of pain.

The sky was changing colours, from bright blue to golds and reds. Only a few bags of grain were left to be loaded onto the wagons. The men all scattered to their bunks to rest before the next day began.