Choke by Chuck Palahniuk Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Choke
Book Review: Find out how Victor could be the son of Jesus
Summary: 5 Stars
What a great book; Chuck continues to touch my funny bone. I wonder if Chuck is a little crazy himself, because he describes this cast of sex/alcoholics with such detail, you wonder how he gets the inside scoop. I feel so close to the main character that I "understand" why he chooses to make part of his living by choking in upscale restaurants and have people save him. I see no moral problem with this, because he is giving them the idea that they really made a difference and for once in their lives they were heroes. So what if the main character, Victor, sometimes asked for a little help or if he accepted birthday cards from those who saved him.
Victor did all this because he had recently dropped out of medical school and had to foot the bill of a nursing home for his dying mother. He justified his actions in such a way that you could not help but to cheer for him.
Along the way you get a glimpse into his addictive sexaholic life and his exploits in some of the most bizarre places. It makes you wish you had the guts to do the things he pulls off; are there really people like this? You will have all the questions you have about sex addicts answered in this book, and make you think about joining a support group in hopes that you may meet some people that Chuck describes.
Another choice part of the book that I loved was Victor's best friend and how he chooses collecting rocks instead of acting out in a sexual life. It is a classic exchange of one addiction for another. I see part of this in myself as I choose running mile after mile so I don't drink beer after beer.
Finally the most important aspect of the book is Victor's journey to find out what was written in his Mother's diary, which may unlock the mystery of his Father. Along the way Victor befriends a Doctor at the nursing home, who just happens to read Italian (language his Mother's diary is wrote in), and she tells him that he was spawned of the reconstructed DNA from a religious relic of Christ himself (DNA from Jesus' foreskin).
Victor doesn't want to admit that he really is a good guy, and one who brings a lot of joy to other peoples' lives. Victor could be found accepting blame from all kinds of patients at the nursing home, and even though he was just trying to get them to leave him alone or to shut them it, he unwittingly gave them closure and comfort at such a vulnerable time in life. He still is convinced that he is just a screwed up person making his way through life, however just when he is about to accept it, he finds out a tragic truth right at the time of his Mother's death. He finds out that his Doctor friend was in fact a patient and crazy. Victor really is not the child of Jesus.
I would recommend this book for a light read that will make you feel good and give you a fun voyeur look into addicts' lives. Chuck, must have really did a good job of investigating addicts, or maybe he has a little bit of crazy in himself.
Book Review: Funny, strange, disturbing, good
Summary: 5 Stars
This is the first Palahniuk book I've read, and I look forward to reading more of his books.
Based upon the description of the book, this isn't one that I'd likely pick up to read...the redemption/recovery/whatever you call it of a sex addict just didn't seem that interesting. However, Palahniuk throws in enough twists and symbolism to make this a very entertaining read. The book was hard to put down.
The story was so graphic, that it was hard not to laugh every time he talked about "throating a dog", or his "white soldiers." The main character gets into some strange situations...every chapter is filled with another surprise.
Book Review: Gets a little too extreme for its own good...
Summary: 3 Stars
Not as good as `Invisible Monsters' (his finest work) or `Fight Club' (his most popular) or even `Lullaby' (his most insanely creative), `Choke' has to settle for being merely good. It isn't great, and at times it is slightly bad, but at least it makes slightly more sense than `Diary' (his least satisfying). I am a fan of Chuck, because even when he is beneath himself he is still above many others.
Bad Palahniuk is still pretty darn good.
I have a few issues with `Choke', namely that it rides so heavy on the preposterous that each and every character starts to lose credibility before the conclusion of the novel, but those issues never deterred me from actually reading the novel. Chuck's style is very creative and absorbing, so even when I was rolling my eyes in disbelief, I was rolling them towards the page because I didn't want to stop reading. Chuck has a way of always keeping you guessing, intrigued enough (maybe it's all those moments that make you ask `can he really be serious?') to keep reading, keep barreling through in order to uncover the inspiration for all his madness.
`Choke' tells the story of Victor Mancini. He is an addict (of the most perverse kind), he is a loser who failed to go through with his big dreams and he comes from the most insanely unbelievable background imaginable.
Oh yeah; and he may be Jesus Christ.
The story weaves through Victor skipping his AA meetings to feed his addictions, visiting his dying mother in the hospital, working his pointless job at a colonial-era theme park and killing time with his best friend Denny at strip clubs and collecting rocks (I know, I know). In the meantime he meets Paige, a doctor at the hospital his mother is staying at. She seems convinced that a risky procedure could save his mothers life (I'm not going to tell you what she proposes, because it really would kill that `what the...' moment that it is bound to create). The question Victor faces is, does he really want to save anyone, let alone his mother?
Palahniuk is known for pushing the envelope, and I admire him for that. He knows how to hit us where it counts, how to engage the reader and turn his stomach at the same time he is turning his mind. My complaint here is that Chuck may have gone a little too far. Some of the scenes reach `American Psycho' amounts of explicitness, but unlike Bret Easton Ellis, Palahniuk doesn't know how to make his perversions intelligent. In the end we are left with a novel that thinks it is establishing a groundbreaking prose on the adult male but instead is rattling off a list of impulses we are all familiar with yet repulsed by in the same breath. It is entertaining in parts, mind-numbing in others, yet is always presented in Chuck's signature style, which makes anything readable.
Palahniuk has been hailed as the author who finally got men reading again (for I cannot see women fully enjoying his work) and for that he should be commended. The problem I have with that is that that statement paints men (his target audience) as generic Neanderthals who only appreciate literature if it is as graphic as it is simple. I'm not knocking Chuck, for like I said, I like him, but as an avid reader (and a male) I find it rather insulting that this is the literature we are expected to enjoy the most.
Book Review: Give it time, you will seriously enjoy this book!
Summary: 5 Stars
So I got this book out of the library, not having high hopes for it as I had read a lot of reviews saying its absolutly TERRIBLE.
But I can tell you that it is the complete oppisate, once you start reading you are hooked!
For a lot of people, myself at first included, the first few chapters will have you feeling a bit..I dont know..odd? ,
as a lot of the content is sexually graphic and explicit - as a lot of people have said, this book is not for the light hearted!
But I urge you to continue reading as the book is brilliantly written, and develops a fantastic storyline that holds your interest from start to finish.
If you can look past the sexual detail, you will just adore this book. But don't worry, the book isn't COMPLETELY sex fueled!
If you liked weird, quirky, humerous and edgy sorts of stories, I strongly suggest Choke.
I found it very very enjoyable and finished it within 2 days.
I will certainly be buying this book.
Give it a chance!!
Book Review: Good price....great shape received in plenty of time
Summary: 5 Stars
I received this item in plenty of time for Christmas and it was in good shape...also excellent price