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Snuff

by Chuck Palahniuk

3.04 · rating details · 13,910 ratings · 1,382 reviews

In the crowded greenroom of a porn-movie production, hundreds of men mill around in their boxers, awaiting their turn with the legendary Cassie Wright. An aging adult film star, Cassie Wright intends to cap her career by breaking the world record for serial fornication by having sex with 600 men on camera—one of whom may want to kill her. Told from the perspectives of Mr. ...more

Hardcover, 208 pages

Published May 20th 2008 by Doubleday (first published 2008)

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Aug 30, 2011

Matthieu rated it

Recommends it for: Greasy café-haunting types

Read in an attempt to understand. Wasn't successful.

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Jun 07, 2008

Yulia added it

Shelves: repelled-by, lit-lite

Please stop writing, Mr. Palahniuk.

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Feb 23, 2010

oriana rated it

Shelves: read-2008, why-werent-you-better

before reading
I'm presuming that this will be enough of a departure from Against the Day that it will help me remember how to read regular books.

(Also noted: the print is really big. Odd.)

after reading
Ok I'm really sorry to say this, but this book blew. I suppose that given the subject matter, that's kind of a double entendre, but fuck it. Actually, you know what? That's about as hard as it seems Palahniuk tried to make this book any good. It was like some co...more

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Aug 06, 2008

Jason Pettus rated it

(Today's review is much longer than Goodreads' word-count limit; find the entire essay at the Chicago Center for Literature and Photography [cclapcenter.com]. I am the original author of this essay, as well as the owner of CCLaP; it is not being reprinted here illegally.)

As I'm sure a certain amount of CCLaP's readers are already aware, there's a new type of pornography that's become more and more popular within the last half-decade now, a type that I'm positive will eventually say m...more

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Jan 17, 2009

Laura rated it

Recommends it for: Any die-hard fan of Palahniuk or Bret Easton Ellis

I just absolutely enjoyed this book. I just came off of reading "Rant" with my Composition 2 students, and I had one student object (quietly, coming to me during office hours to do so) to reading it because it goes against everything she believes in (which is following the word of God and ridding the world of moral filth. Her words, not mine). So of course I respected her position, gave her a new assignment, and kept on trucking with the rest of the class. Her comments did, however, gi...moreI just absolutely enjoyed this book. I just came off of reading "Rant" with my Composition 2 students, and I had one student object (quietly, coming to me during office hours to do so) to reading it because it goes against everything she believes in (which is following the word of God and ridding the world of moral filth. Her words, not mine). So of course I respected her position, gave her a new assignment, and kept on trucking with the rest of the class. Her comments did, however, give me pause as I opened up this new Palahniuk delight about an aging pornography queen set to beat the world record for sex acts taped for a movie (600 men/600 sex acts). Was it too "filthy," and should I approach it it with a keener eye for any use of filth-for-filth's-sake? And my response was: hell no.

It was great. Yes, it was totally off its literary rocker, and yes, it was over-the-top sexually graphic. But was it perfect? Very nearly, yes. Given the title and a very early tip from one of our narrators (Palahniuk's at his stylistic wheel of fortune again, this time giving us first person narration from four different characters' p.o.v.'s) I knew that the film Cassie Wright, our porn queen, was making would eventually turn out as a snuff film. Though what kind of guess, I wasn't even close. I guessed one of the twists about half-way through (won't spoil it here), though the other handful hit me like one of Branch Bacardi's toys over the head.

In addition to its super-fun story and really nice, tight writing, it's an ultra quick read. I started it Saturday afternoon and finished it last night (I would have finished it quicker, but we had a Power Family Field Trip to a soccer game at Soldier Field last evening). I stayed up until about one a.m. to finish it, and was thoroughly pleased that I did. Pick it up, be totally aware of the subject matter and don't be shocked to read about sex acts, sex toys, and sex performers in graphic-traffic detail. And then, just have a fantastic time. (less)

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Feb 12, 2009

Chris rated it

Shelves: read-in-2009

I don't believe I've ever read (or heard of) any good fiction written about the porn industry. Drug addiction and alcoholism have been written about ad nauseum, but the porn industry -- a bizarre world in which so many of its participants (from the actors to the viewers) have hit a rock bottom similar to that of the most addicted alcoholic or dope fiend -- seems to be a tougher nut to crack, if you will. Maybe it has to do with the old "write what you know" philosophy. Any writer ca...moreI don't believe I've ever read (or heard of) any good fiction written about the porn industry. Drug addiction and alcoholism have been written about ad nauseum, but the porn industry -- a bizarre world in which so many of its participants (from the actors to the viewers) have hit a rock bottom similar to that of the most addicted alcoholic or dope fiend -- seems to be a tougher nut to crack, if you will. Maybe it has to do with the old "write what you know" philosophy. Any writer can drink himself into oblivion or go on a drug binge for a while and then write about it. It would take a special kind of writer to do porn (or hang around porn stars or watch endless amount of porn) for a couple of years and then write about it.

Approximately ten years ago, David Foster Wallace wrote an essay ("Big Red Son," which can be found in his book of essays Consider the Lobster) about the porn industry after he attended the annual Adult Video News Awards (the Academy Awards of porn). It was filled with everything a fan/admirer of DFW would expect to find in his writing: humor, insight, unique observations, excruciating detail, and heavy doses of The Truth. And lots of footnotes, including one in which he likens Peter North's ejaculations to mortar rounds.

Shortly after this essay was published, one of DFW's fan sites, The Howling Fantods! reported that he was rumored to be working on a novel set in the porn industry. Unfortunately, those were just rumors and no such novel was ever published, which is a shame because that novel could very well have been the greatest novel about porn ever written. After reading Chuck Palahniuk's embarrassing attempt to tackle the subject in Snuff, I'm even more disappointed that DFW never wrote a porn novel because it would have, at the very least, saved me from ever having to read this dreck. I highly doubt Mr. Palahniuk would have ventured anywhere near this subject matter if a talent like DFW had already thoroughly dissected it.

If DFW's novel would have been a Peter North-like mortar round capable of coating the faces of three or four women, then Snuff is a premature ejaculation dripping down some 16-year-old kid's boxers before he can even get his girlfriend's bra off. In less than 200 pages, Palahniuk manages to include at least 50, maybe closer to 100, mock titles for porn movies, such as To Drill A Mockingbird, The Da Vinci Load, and The Tale of Two Titties. I had fun doing that when I was 14. Then you've got a female character who thinks of all men as masturbators and calls them pud-pullers, yogurt-yankers, jerk-jockeys, and on and on, never using the same hilarious name twice. There must be close to 100 of these brilliant gems scattered throughout the book. Sure, this stuff can be funny in small doses but using the same joke a hundred times? I could go into great detail about the lifeless narrators/characters, the plotless plot, and the twists that weren't really twists since you knew they were coming a long, long time before they came, much like most male porn stars, now that I think about it. I could do that, but I think I've already put more time into this review than Chuck put into writing this book, so I think it's time to pull out prematurely. Get it? Imagine a groaner like this on every single page.

This was the first Palahniuk book that I've read and it will likely be the last, which is too bad because he seems like a guy who takes chances and tries to write about topics that others don't. I imagine that this is why people like him. He's edgy. He's unique. He's brave. Unfortunately, as far as I can see from this book, he's not a good writer.

David Foster Wallace was every bit as edgy, unique, and brave as Chuck Palahniuk, but he was so much more. What I loved most about him was that, no matter what the topic was, he peeled back its layers until there was nothing left to peel and all of the sadness, hilarity, banality, and ugliness of that topic had been revealed. I'm probably going a bit too far here given that I've only read one of Palahniuk's books, but Chuck seems like a guy with no interest in peeling back the layers. He can sell his books and gather his loyal following without any of that deep thinking.(less)

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Jul 28, 2008

Kelly rated it

Shelves: cant-finish-the-damn-thing

This is the second worst book I have ever read. I don't know if I can say I've even read it because I just cannot bring myself to finish it. This guy has no concept on how to write a good sentence. Not one good sentence. Pick a page, then put your finger on a word. It will all be stupid and bad. A friend of mine paid $30 to take me to hear him speak, and this is how I wound up with a signed copy of this book. Everybody in his cult following crowd was young and ultra hip, and obviously has...moreThis is the second worst book I have ever read. I don't know if I can say I've even read it because I just cannot bring myself to finish it. This guy has no concept on how to write a good sentence. Not one good sentence. Pick a page, then put your finger on a word. It will all be stupid and bad. A friend of mine paid $30 to take me to hear him speak, and this is how I wound up with a signed copy of this book. Everybody in his cult following crowd was young and ultra hip, and obviously has really bad taste in writing. If that is our future it's gonna be bleak. The story he read at that lecture was a short story about someone at a game show on acid, and normally I love acid stories, but eww. It was totally obvious and predictable and dull. Horribly dull. Not at all creative or insightful. I don't know how he sells books. His stories are based on shock which can only be shocking to the most plain unread reader. It's overdone to the point you can't even call it that. He tries to go so far in shock it comes off as totally unbelievable but not far, or interesting enough, to be any type of fun exaggerated fantasy. And I think he got all his research off the internet. If he was a baddass he would have made a porno. Or at least watched one. It feels like he just randomly threw facts in to sound credible. It was so painful to read. Physically painful too, not only brain aneurysm painful. My face hurt from screwing it up grossing out at the bad writing. The only redeeming thing I got from his crappy unintelligent lecture and this stupid book (and I like porn) is that if he can do it so can I. Or maybe not, cuz if this is what society is digging the tastes and intelligence of America is so dumbed down they may forget what good taste is and we will soon be the way of that Idiocracy movie. When someone asked him who his influences were he couldn't even quote any good writers. He quoted The Hardy Boys or something similar but not as good. What? I'm not dogging The Hardy Boys, but that was really all he could come up with. He needs to never have a book published ever again. I guess I should say I never read any of his other books so I don't have anything to compare this to, mostly because I hated the movie "Fight Club," yeah I said it, and that's a shitty way to judge whether or not you're going to read the book but I just had a feeling, you know, I get those on books. And this being my introduction to his writing does not make me want to waste any time picking up any other book of his.
Oh yeah, and he used the word "dude" a lot. Annoyingly so. And not in dialogue. Ugg. He sucks.(less)

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Jun 23, 2008

Maggie rated it

I refuse to spend more time reviewing this book than Palahniuk spent writing it (which couldn't have been very much), so I'll be brief. Snuff takes place entirely in the green room of a porno movie. Cassie Wright is an aging porn star who is trying to set a world record for having sex with 600 dudes in one film, an act that everyone seems to think will kill her. Cassie thinks this too, but that appears to be the whole point. She's hoping that if she dies trying to break the record, then the film...more

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Jun 01, 2008

Mike Kleine rated it

Snuff is not for everybody. Those who have never read a Chuck Palahniuk novel will probably not enjoy the story or the way it is presented while others may be drawn to the subject matter alone. "Six hundred dudes. One porn queen. A world record for the ages." Come on, it's about porn! Palahniuk fans will certainly enjoy this short tirade that seems more like a novella than an actual novel. Snuff is Chuck's shortest novel to date. Fact. Every single letter is in brown ink! Fact. It cert...moreSnuff is not for everybody. Those who have never read a Chuck Palahniuk novel will probably not enjoy the story or the way it is presented while others may be drawn to the subject matter alone. "Six hundred dudes. One porn queen. A world record for the ages." Come on, it's about porn! Palahniuk fans will certainly enjoy this short tirade that seems more like a novella than an actual novel. Snuff is Chuck's shortest novel to date. Fact. Every single letter is in brown ink! Fact. It certainly does not take away from the aesthetic feel but it may come as a surprise to some when they first begin reading though it is not immediately noticeable.

Overall, Snuff is not a bad story at all, Chuck has just put himself in a bad spot with his previous novels. He has raised the bar to such great heights with novels such as Fight Club, Haunted, and Survivor that fans may see Snuff more as something of a writing exercise, rather than a true piece of accomplished work. Opting for a multi-character narrative, the storytelling is different from his other books. There is very little dark humor, instead, the humor in Snuff is much more apparent; not that it's a bad thing, just a little different than usual. It wouldn't be fair to completely bad mouth this book. It certainly does have its golden moments. Each character definitely breathes and acts Palahniuk but everything just seems a bit toned down. For a book about pornography, it seems pretty tame. It still does have its gross-out moments but about ¾ of the novel is spent inside the green room. The entire experience does seem to have a life of its own and the descriptions are nicely depicted, making it easy for readers to picture the room.

There is a great deal of suspense during each narrative and though the chapter titles claim that a different character is narrating, it doesn't always feel unique to the specific character. Sure, one may repeatedly use the word "dude" and another may repeatedly be carrying a stuffed animal but thought-process-wise, they all think alike. Every single character in the book seems to be a walking trivia machine and though that may be synonymous to Palahniuk's style, it just detracts from the authenticity of the story. The shortness of Snuff also seems to alienate us from any of the four main characters. Though we do spend a lot of time in the green room with each character, it just doesn't last long enough for us to feel attached to any of them.

There are a few plot twists but they are all mildly predictable. Anyone who has seen a soap opera in the past month or watched an episode of Family Matters will know what to expect on the next page. The ending is a bit unexpected and true to Palahniuk's signature style but it also feels a little far-fetched. Then again, this is only a book and not real life. Some stuff needs to be far from the truth; nobody wants to read about the mundane reality of life. Palahniuk claims to have already completed the first draft for his next novel Pygmy so Snuff can arguably be passed off as something to tide us over for the wait. Though it is short, somewhat predictable at spots, and a bit tame for what it is depicting; it is full of humor, wonderful trivia, plot twists, and memorable quotes. This book may not win any awards but it certainly will be mentioned in the years to come and you will be glad to have read it.(less)

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May 20, 2008

R. rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: 2008

Five stars, because it gives you everything you'd want in a Palahniuk book. No child is left behind.

Think of this book as...as the Oedipus myth, filtered through the worldview of Philip Larkin and the grossout slapstick of Jackass.

---
What the hell is with the brown ink?! Were they out of...out of lemon juice?! I'm sorry, but this is an annoyance on par with the invisotext (click and roll cursor to highlight the spoilers!) that was all the rage in...in your livej...more

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Jun 09, 2008

jenny. rated it

Recommends it for: anyone without a brain

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Good thing that I borrowed this book.

However, I've got to keep it on my hands for three more weeks, since, with all the gas prices going up, the only time I can go to the library is when I have to return all my books at once, which is my mother's new, adopted policy in an effort to save money spent on gas.

I approached this book with biased indifference (Ha! An oxymoron!); biased, because I had not been too impressed with Rant (Does anyone even remember what that story was...more

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Jul 30, 2008

Dena rated it

Okay, I can't jump on the Snuff hate train. This wasn't the best book, but it's really not a bad offering at all.

Basic premise - an aging porn star goes for one last hurrah - a 600 man gang bang. However, many of the people involved, including the aging starlet herself, think that this last movie just might kill her.

The author let's us into the thoughts of the men standing in line for the movie and into the thoughts of one of the production people. These are very damag...more

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Jun 17, 2008

Owen rated it

So far it's not the sex that's making me queasy and itchy as much as the gleefully elaborate descriptions of all the various stains, smears, smudges, dribbles, crumbs and residues that the characters in this book seem to leave on every surface that they come into contact with. Chuck is smart enough to realize that he probably isn't going to shock any of his loyal readers (or anyone who has ever watched a porno) with endless mechanical details, so instead he concentrates on making everything so d...more

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Feb 14, 2009

Imogen rated it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Aug 29, 2010

Raymon rated it

"Snuff" is another work by my fav author, Chuck Palahniuk. An aging porn star, Cassie Wright, decides to go out with a bang - one that lasts all day and includes 600 guys and to be preserved on film. The film really revolves around her, her assistant, Mr. 600 with whom she has a long history with, Mr. 72 a washed up actor that will do anything to get back on top, and a adopted Midwestern kid who think Cassie is his natural mother.
It is a story of flawed people who makes bad...more

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Jan 17, 2011

abo rated it

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Shelves: fiction

Quando ho visto "Snuff" in una libreria di San Diego non ho resistito, e per la prima volta sono entrato in un romanzo di Chuck Palahniuk dalla porta principale, quella della lingua originale.
La prima cosa che ho notato confrontando Snuff e i passati romanzi che ho letto nell’edizione Mondadori è l’ottimo lavoro fatto dai traduttori, Dobner e Colombo in primis. La “voce” di Palahniuk, quella modalità di scrittura che lo rende così riconoscibile, mi sembra sia stata resa ottimamente in ...moreQuando ho visto "Snuff" in una libreria di San Diego non ho resistito, e per la prima volta sono entrato in un romanzo di Chuck Palahniuk dalla porta principale, quella della lingua originale.
La prima cosa che ho notato confrontando Snuff e i passati romanzi che ho letto nell’edizione Mondadori è l’ottimo lavoro fatto dai traduttori, Dobner e Colombo in primis. La “voce” di Palahniuk, quella modalità di scrittura che lo rende così riconoscibile, mi sembra sia stata resa ottimamente in italiano.
Entriamo ora nel merito di "Snuff" (che in italiano si intitolerà "Gang Bang"). Protagonista è Cassie Wright, pornodiva in età da pensione decisa a lasciare un segno indelebile con un’ultima, indimenticabile interpretazione: stabilire il nuovo record di gang bang, fornicando senza sosta con 600 uomini, uno dopo l’altro.
Eccoci quindi proiettati in un lercio stanzone, una caricatura di sala d’aspetto dove al posto delle mentine ci sono vassoi carichi di preservativi, al posto delle classiche riviste una serie di monitor che trasmettono vecchi film di Cassie Wright.
I titoli delle pellicole in questione, come spesso accade per i film porno, sono parodie di altri film o libri famosi. Palahniuk sembra essersi divertito un bel po’ nell’inventarli, e il risultato è molto spesso esilarante.
Un esempio su tutti: "The catcher in the rye", titolo originale de "Il giovane Holden", diventa "Catch her in the eye" (considerato che stiamo parlando di un film porno, spiegare l’allusione sarebbe poco elegante, quindi lascio perdere). Non so come i traduttori riusciranno a districarsi nella resa italiana dei titoli, ma visto il buon lavoro fatto in passato non resta che ben sperare.
Il tema del romanzo è insomma già di per sé abbastanza forte e difficile da digerire per i più benpensanti. Palahniuk ci mette del suo, guidandoci tra i corpi sudati e le erezioni più o meno spontanee dei 600 sparring partner, in attesa del loro assaggio di celebrità (e di Cassie Wright).
I diversi capitoli, tutti in prima persona, sono affidati alla voce di tre di essi, i numeri 600, 137 e 72, rispettivamente una vecchia stella del porno che già ha avuto modo di lavorare con Cassie, un divo della tv caduto in disgrazia a causa di uno scandalo, ovviamente sessuale, e un timido giovane che nasconde un segreto.
A dirigere le operazioni Sheila, anch’essa voce narrante nei capitoli a suo nome, segretaria di Miss Wright e responsabile di produzione del film, perfettamente a suo agio nonostante l’imbarazzante parata di uomini nudi che le gravita attorno.
Nessuno dei personaggi è però solamente quello che dice di essere, e le rivelazioni che emergono sconvolgono le dinamiche dei rapporti e fanno ben presto intuire il reale motivo per cui il film viene girato.
Palahniuk gioca un po’ con il lettore, prima suggerisce un plot twist, poi lo rovescia, senza però raggiungere i livelli di sorpresa a cui ci ha abituato con "Fight club" o "Invisible monsters". E Snuff difetta anche di uno dei punti di forza di Palahniuk, la feroce critica sociale. Colpa dell’ambientazione del romanzo, relegato nel mondo del porno e quasi esclusivamente referenziale ad esso, con rari sprazzi di quella carica sovversiva che da sempre caratterizza le opere dello scrittore americano.
Non siamo insomma ai massimi livelli della sua produzione, questo bisogna ammetterlo.
Detto questo, resta la netta distinzione tra chi lo ama e chi lo odia.
"Snuff" non mancherà quindi nella libreria dei fan più accaniti, che troveranno in esso il gusto per l’aneddoto e il brutale cinismo che adorano (fermo restando che si tratta del romanzo meno riuscito della carriera di Palahniuk).
Chi invece non sopporta la morbosità a cui l’autore ci ha abituati è meglio che di "Snuff" non legga neppure la prima pagina: se vi siete sentiti offesi dai romanzi precedenti di Mr Fight Club, immaginate cosa potrebbe succedervi leggendone uno che parla di pornografia.

http://mondobalordo.wordpress.com (less)

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Apr 01, 2008

Floyd rated it

A guy here on Goodreads was nice enough to send me an advance copy of Chuck P's new book set for release May 2008. I'm really digging it so far. It's got all those great observations and incredibly quoteable lines that Chuck seems to have a knack for coming up with.

I'm not fixing that.

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Nov 21, 2008

Joanie rated it

Shelves: from-the-library

This book is certainly not for everyone (it takes place during the filming of a porno movie) but it was a fast, funny read. The story is told from the point of views of 3 men waiting for their turn in the spotlight as well as the porn star's personal assistant. The book is filled with interesting little tidbits (Marilyn Monroe cut down the heel of one of her shoes to give her an exaggerated hip sway when she walked) and some that you were probably happier not ever knowing (I'll spare you the e...more

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Jul 09, 2008

Tami Lynn rated it

After his previous two novels, I remember going off on this whole rant (no pun intended) about how Chuck's like an Alkaline Trio record, or a David Lynch movie. You know you're gonna entertain it's existence, you know it will have a handful of one-liners, but you know its going to be jusssst like all the rest and nothing special.
So then you ask the age-old question, "Is it better if one of your favourite bands keeps making the same music for 15 years and bores you, or takes the chance...more

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Jun 04, 2008

Eri-chan rated it

Disappointing effort from one of my former favorite authors. Chuck has really let himself fall into a rut, I think - his writing has become so formulaic that his stories, however interesting they seem on face value, have really started to lose their appeal for me.

Snuff is about a porn queen in the twilight of her career attempting to set a world record by having sex with 600 men in a single film. Gets your attention, right? But then you actually read the book, and after the fourth or f...moreDisappointing effort from one of my former favorite authors. Chuck has really let himself fall into a rut, I think - his writing has become so formulaic that his stories, however interesting they seem on face value, have really started to lose their appeal for me.

Snuff is about a porn queen in the twilight of her career attempting to set a world record by having sex with 600 men in a single film. Gets your attention, right? But then you actually read the book, and after the fourth or fifth or sixth time you see the same imagery, the same point beaten down with a hammer, and after the third or fourth abrupt and oddly convenient plot twist, the plot really looses its glitter. About the only really positive thing about the book is that he certainly didn't belabor the point - it stacks up at about 200 pages, and is probably really much shorter than that as its printed in what seems like an awfully large font.

What's truly disappointing about this book is that it has so much potential to be so much better than it is - the plot, though dull in the telling, has enough complexity to be really engrossing. The environment, the people, the entire situation are just quirky and ridiculous enough to create his trademark literary universe: grounded in reality, but only just. It seems like Chuck rushed on it, forced himself to produce it quickly, and in doing so he really neglected all of the things that could have made it great. If he'd fleshed out the character's backstory more, if he'd extended the timeline a bit, if he'd switched up the descriptive prose instead of using the same set of imagery over and over again, if he'd even spent some time telling the story from Cassie's point of view (an omission that seems to have carried over from Rant, his previous release) this could have been a much better book. As it is, its only passable, and certainly not worth the $25 I spent on it.

I've read just about everything that Chuck has written at this point, and have always waited eagerly for his new novels and bought them within days of their release, but next time I might need to take a pass. He's really going to have to shake things up next time around to win back my previously unfailing devotion.(less)

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Jun 03, 2008

Justin rated it

wow was this ever a disappointment. I was looking forward to a good Palhaniuk novel since my disappointment with Rant. I was eagerly anticipating the release of this one and bought it within a week or two of it coming out.

It's a short book, ~200 pages large margin large type, I finished it in 3 or 4 sittings, but its just the same old thing.

The story is told from the POV of three guys waiting for a change to join into the largest gangbang ever 600men and one woman, 1 at...more

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Jun 01, 2008

Dan rated it

Sometimes entertaining, often tiresome, this book furthers Palahniuk's descent into self-caricature. What little plot there is has to be stretched paper-thin to fill the book's 200 pages, and most of the book consists of random porn-related facts and sexual euphemisms. Where Chuck's previous books tried to make some sort of statement about society, Snuff just tries to shock you. What Palahniuk fails to recognize, though, is that the sort of person who will read a book about a porn star trying...more

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Jul 31, 2008

Walt rated it

Recommends it for: Not your mother-in-law

Recommended to Walt by: Russell Gheen

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Oct 02, 2008

Mike Philbin rated it

Recommends it for: fans of LULLABY and CHOKE

Recommended to Mike by: my conscience

SNUFF (Chuck Palahniuk) was a definite improvement over his last two book DIARY and HAUNTED, I loved LULLABY, SURVIVOR and CHOKE.

And SNUFF was often-times more laugh-out-loud funny than CHOKE and that's saying something. This book finally shows the maturing of Palahniuk's factual-anecdote-over-driving-storyline narrative style. He has gathered together some of the most bitter and twisted character in history into the basement of a 600-man-1-woman porn shoot. The right and only place...more

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May 01, 2008

Joe rated it

Having luckily scored an advance reader's copy of this book, I decided to get through my first Chuck P novel since Diary (I couldn't finish Lullaby or Rant, though I didn't try very hard on Rant.) And, well... It was ok.

I'm not sure if it's my standards have gotten higher, or his quality has gotten lower. Alls I know is that I really liked his first several books, and I've been progressively less entertained as time goes on. I like still like him, a lot, but I'm waiting for him ...more

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Aug 27, 2008

Tom rated it

Wow, that was some sick weirdness right there. Of course I expected no less. But this one kinda lost me halfway through, it started to sound like what it probably started as: an exercise in thinking up imaginary porn movies. "World Whore I. Piledriving Miss Daisy." ad nauseam.
On the other hand it was full of his strange trivia and household hints. Like marilyn monroe laying for hours in tubs of ice to firm up or the fact that the color cyan comes from the fact that cyanid...more

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Oct 14, 2008

xTx xTx rated it

I wanted to love this book. I really did.

First of all, it's from CHUCK! Secondly it's about a GANG BANG!!! These are two of my favorite things for gosh sakes!

But alas, I did not love it.

I can't put my finger on why, exactly. My summation is that it felt like Chuck did a walk-through on this one. It was like he spent five minutes on it, slapped on a cool cover and hit publish. It was pretty predictable and even boring.

I was dissapointed.
...more

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Mar 21, 2008

Melissa rated it

I love Chuck Palahniuk, but this might be among the worst books I've ever read. Maybe it's also that I don't like to read five billion clever euphemisms for masturbation when I'm riding the subway to work first thing in the morning. Lots of this book just really grossed me out, and not in an envelope-pushing way. Palahniuk still gets one star, however, for knowing a surprising amount of feminist theory (he's apparently read his Ariel Levy) and for some compelling research (who knew that Hitler i...more

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Jan 06, 2011

Travis rated it

Shelves: 2008

Definitely not my favorite Palahniuk book, but better than I was expecting. It must be the shortest of his books (though none of them are very long) and I zipped through it very quickly. As usual, his writing style is engaging and easy to read. I really wish he'd stick to one POV character per book, though. His narration is so quirky and distinctive that while I can believe one person per book sounds like that (though really, it's stretching things considering how vastly different the people he ...more

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Feb 05, 2009

Bookmarks Magazine added it

Palahniuk has followed his tendency towards sensationalism to its logical conclusion and written a novel about a pornographic film, to mixed reactions. Naysayers wrote that Snuff either failed in its satirical role or, worse, Palahniuk has simply run out of ideas and only wants to make readers cringe. Yet other reviewers felt that, as in previous novels, Palahniuk's strong, character-driven explorations of the unseemly actually reveal a great deal about our society. Certainly, he riffs cleverly

...more

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About Chuck Palahniuk

Charles Michael "Chuck" Palahniuk is an American Transgressional fiction novelist and freelance journalist of Ukrainian ancestry born in Pasco, Washington. The press release for his book, Rant, states he is now living in Vancouver, Washington. He is best known for the award-winning novel Fight Club, which was later made into a film directed by David Fincher.

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Quotes from Snuff

“It can only take a moment to waste the rest of your life.” — 243 people liked it

“The damaged loves the damaged.” — 218 people liked it

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Silver Spring Readers

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Chuck Palahniuk Rocks My ...

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