Choke by Chuck Palahniuk was like a train wreck for me, but I'll try to refrain from
getting too personal while I assess it. The narrator is a young man in
a 12-step program for his sexual addiction, but the program only serves
to fuel his addiction. His mother is in a nursing home, starving to
death, and he isn't sure he cares. When he learns the secret of his
birth from his mother's doctor, his life changes–he is, we learn,
descended from Jesus Christ. As the narrator struggles with his new
identity, he comes closer and closer to being able to complete that
vital fourth step of the twelve.
I enjoyed the narration, although some of the quirks were overdone
at times. Some of the minor characters were flat, but the narrator, his
best friend, and his mother were all richly portrayed. The end of this
book left me cold. I did appreciate the glimpse into the mind of a sex
addict, and it made me understand that particular addiction better than
I did before reading the novel. Reading this right after The Bell Jar, though, has made me feel like I've been under assault.* My sister loaned me Twilight,** which I suspect may be a little, em, how shall I say it without sounding like a snob? Well, light, for my taste, but really, that may be what I need right now. Any other suggestions that might bring a ray of joy into my reading world again?
* Mind you, I adore The Bell Jar. But still, a joyful read, it ain't.
**She loaned it to me because I asked her for it.
Hi Bev,
I just finished Sarah Vowell’s “Assasination Vacation” and found it to be a great transition book for me between a couple of the history heavyweights I’m reading.
By the way, Alexis isn’t the only niece of yours to have a birthday in the past week! 😛 LOL
Love ya!
Chris
I’ll be interested in your thoughts on Twilight. I borrowed the series from the library and plowed through them all fairly quickly. I have a few issues with them, but over all I found the storylines engrossing in a way I find difficult to put in words.
After you finish Twilight, go to the author’s website and read the partial/unedited beginning of the same events from Edward’s perspective.
My advice? Suspend all judgment and propensity to analyze, settle in, read ALL the Twilight novels, like potato chips, one after the other, and enjoy the ride. Don’t think too much. Different sorts of books fill different needs. There’s no shame in wallowing in some popular fiction now and again!
Run, don’t walk, to the library and check out “Harris and Me” by Gary Paulsen (Young Adult section). It’s a quick read. Eleven-yr-old city boy spends the summer with farm relatives. Paulsen is a rare adult who has not forgotten what it’s like to be a kid, what they believe, how they think. . . and he knows farms. You’ll read it with a grin on your face; not dippy or cutesy or juvenile, frequently hysterically funny. I’ve read it five or six times, and loved it all over again with each reading.
I’ve read several Chuck Palahniuk books and have finally decided to stop. They’re all so uneven.
Try Dear American Airlines by Jonathan Miles. Short, hysterically funny, but not light. But definitely lighter than Bell Jar!
I just have to recommend two of my favorite English novels to you–“Invitation to the Waltz” and “The Weather in the Streets” by Rosamond Lehmann. The second is the sequel to the first, about the character grown up. I adore Lehmann and I think she’s not very often read now. Wonderful main character. I think they’re reprinted by Virago Press.
Ditto the comment for “Harris and Me” – funny, funny stuff. I enjoyed (okay, loved!) the “Looking Glass Wars” trilogy so far, as book three is not out yet, and the “Gidion Seymour” trilogy (again, lacking book three). All are YA books – benefits of teaching 7th graders – and make for some quick reads.
Stay away from Palahniuk’s “Snuff” . . . my husband thinks he wrote it just so that he could write an unfilmable novel.
I like Anne Tyler for times like this–warm and light without being fluffy.
I’m in the middle of The Fire by Katharine Harris. Her first one, The Eight, was great too. It takes about the first hundred pages to get into (for both) but they’re smart and just obtuse enough to keep you guessing. I remember after reading The Eight a few years ago being confused by the ending. The Fire is doing and excellent job of clarifying some things. As follow ups go, it’s really good.
You like mysteries and want true brain crack? I recommend the Sookie Stackhouse novels. Slightly more adult than the Twilight, but I went through all 7 in about, umm, *whispers* two weeks…