Choke
by Chuck Palahniuk

List Price: $15.00
Our Price: $0.01
You Save: $14.99 (100%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions

Book Summary Information

Book Reviews of Choke

Book Review: "Annoying" might not be the right word....
Summary: 2 Stars

Having read through most of the customer reviews of this book, I conclude that I may not be giving the author enough of a chance. It appears that those who have read more of his novels cite this as his weakest effort. This book is just so poorly constructed and devoid of originality that I am going to have a difficult time devoting any reading time to Palahniuk's other attempts. I'd also have a difficult time remembering how to spell his name if it weren't emblazoned on the Amazon page as I write.

The novel recalls A Confederacy of Dunces in many respects. Both novels have unlikable protagonists with difficult, suffocating mothers. The humor in both works is on about the same sophomoric level as well. Those for whom Toole drew "guffaws" will likely find Palahniuk's lines equally refreshing.

This writer tries way too hard at being clever. From its contrived, overworked opening to its "startling" denouement, the novel spins on erratically, never finding any clear direction or viewpoint. Nothing rings true. This is evident in his description of his friend's being placed in the stocks at the Historical theme-park where the narrator works. He relates that the ground in front of the stocks is riddled with animal feces and urine. In reality, why would this be the case? What kind of Jamestown are we talking about here? Certainly not the one that I have experienced. The same sort of fictional license is at work when the narrator describes his co-workers as so-many sexual deviants. In fact all the characters in the novel are sexual deviants. Again, in reality, this would hardly be the case. Of course, all this could be in the narrator's mind, but then what's the point?

There is so much interesting and constructive fiction, history and biography on the market today that one would do well to avoid mucking about in this fruitless void.

Literary Books

• Books > Subjects > Literature & Fiction