Thursday, July 22, 2010

Chuck Palahniuk’s 'The Love Theme of Sybil and William',

Chuck Palahniuk is perhaps one of Portland, Oregon’s best kept secrets, okay, so he lives “near Vancouver” which is “near” Portland. Any how, if you have never read his work, then you might as well flip over to day time reruns of Bay Watch, because you just won’t get it.

Chuck is one of the only guys I know of who was a male escort….okay, it was at a hospice, so not only can he write like nobody around today, he has a heart of gold. Most of you will remember “The Fight Club” his first successfully published novel (although not his First Novel…more later) which was turned into a Smash/Flop (opened number one at the box office but died afterwards) starring Brad Pitt and Edward Norton. This flick turned into a cult movie and was based on an earlier attempt at a book, called Insomnia: “If You Lived Here, You'd Be Home Already”. You might remember that the main character in “Fight Club” Played by Edward Norton, was an insomniac.

After Insomnia  he wrote a book that was rejected as “to disturbing”. That book was titled “Invisible Monsters” The story revolves around  a disfigured woman, a transsexual named Brandy Alexander, and the wedding day of Ms. Evie Cottrell, whose house get burned to the ground. The narrator is horribly disfigured after being shot in the face during an apparent road rage/random act of violence incident, and ends up loosing the lower jaw. The story is very nonlinear and there are more strange, if loveable and despicable, beautiful and ugly, people involved. Identities are so confusing (and metaphorical) at times you need a score card, but bottom line it makes you think again about what is weird, normal, ugly and beautiful. Chuck wrote “Fight Club” to be even more disturbing, so naturally the suits liked it! Still one of his strongest works in my mind.

 

Anyway, Chuck just posted "The Love Theme of Sybil and William" ', the second published short story, (before even Fight Club) Guess what I'm reading this afternoon?

 

The Dirty Lowdown

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