Good short stories ruined by dull narrative

The short stories are good, but the narrative that binds them together is dull, tedious and over the top. Forget the reviews that discuss the gore, it's irrelevant. It's the narrative that I've a beef with -- it feels like the author thought he needed something to tie the short stories together but didn't care enough to write anything interesting. I'm a book addict, no doubt about it. I've read at least two books a month for the past 30 years, from classics to bestsellers. But this one goes into the category, with only a handful of others, of not worth my time to finish. What a waste of time and money.

Man, this book is great

When Haunted first came out, all the negative reviews on this site scared me away from actually buying it. What they said seemed plausible - I'm not a diehard Palahniuk fan, and I had no trouble believing the suggested flaws: didacticism, poor character development, over-the-top gore.

Still, I had sometimes liked Chuck's work in the past, and the premise sounded too intriguing to be total waste of paper. So I engaged in that time-honored practice that seems like something a Chuck Palahniuk character might do: I read the book in the bookstores, with the air conditioning, on the comfy chairs they provided - three chapters in one Barnes & Noble, then, when the security guard started to give me a funny look, on to the Borders down the street. I read about half of it in one day this way.

There is a point to this story.

By the end of that day, I was thinking - "Hey, this book is actually pretty good so far. All the better I didn't have to pay for it."

The next day, I started on the second half. I sat in the bookstore for four hours, hunched over, dead to the world, until it was eight forty-five and a clerk came by to tell me the store was closing. I was a few chapters shy of the end. I could have come back the next day and finished it off in fifteen minutes - but instead I bought it, the whole twenty-five dollar hardcover, cutting a huge hole in my sorely-needed monthly budget, and finished it on the subway home.

The point of the story, don't make the same mistake. Save yourself the trouble and buy it now.

As for the book itself, what to say...I don't exactly refute those complaints leveled against it; I can't argue that it _isn't_ very bloody or that is has _great_ character development. But that's not really the point. The best argument against the argument against Haunted is the book itself, but I do have a few thoughts on the subject.

1) Palahniuk's prose is marked by phrases, usually overgeneralized statements about human nature, that seem like trite condensations of his message: greeting-card diatribes, if you will. But I don't think any of these little aphorisms are _really_ Palahniuk's message. What I think he's done is found a way to work with 'message' the way authors have been working with theme and tone for decades. "Show instead of tell" is the cardinal rule of writing, but by carefully manipulating what he tells us, Palahniuk is often remarkably subtle. The trick is to look beyond at the aphorisms - at the narrative itself.

2) A lot of people have said that the stories are better than the overarching narrative. That may be true, but I don't think the stories could stand independantly of the narrative. If the stories were just packaged together, they wouldn't have anywhere near the impact - they reader wouldn't see how they were connected, and the violence and grotesquery might seem even more pointless.

All I can say is that I think the book _does_ have a point, and that there's nothing either simple, cynical, preachy or simple-minded about it. Haunted may be my favorite Palahniuk book so far.

Not for the easily offended (... as if you didn't know)!

I've been waiting for this book for a while and now it's finally here. Was it worth the wait? Yes and no. As with all short story collections the stories can be a bit hit and miss, but Chuck more than makes up for the misses when he hits.

Anyone expecting a huge pukefest having read or heard about 'Guts' may be disappointed but there are lots to enjoy here. Most of the stories don't have 'Guts' visceral impact but are still suitably twisted in Palahniuk's inevitable way.

The narrative that links the stories is a great satire on reality TV and the desire for fame, and would also have worked well as a stand alone novella.

Palahniuk is one of best writers around today and continues to challenge and provoke his readers with this latest addition to his catalogue. BUY THIS BOOK (if you're not too squeamish). I must also recommend, THE LOSERS'S CLUB: Complete Restored Edition by Richard Perez -- which I purchased along with HAUNTED (no shipping charge, or tax for both -- and discounted!) Good deal via Amazon = Palahniuk + Perez

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