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Ever since 2006, famous shock author, also one of the few authors to venture into transgressional fiction territory, and actually be famous, Chuck Palahniuk started to go into different genres, or dare I say, different directions for transgressional fiction. It probably started most with his book Haunted which was set in the famous setup brought about in "The Canturbury Tales" by Geoffrey Chaucer, which is known as "stories in a frame tale". Then came Rant: An Oral Biography of Buster Casey which is set in the format of an oral biography which is a story told by numerous sources, which is mostly used in police cases. Then last year, the book Snuff came out which is told by the perspective of four different people. Now the next book to come out is called Pygmy and I just finished it for your pleasure to read thy review. I hope you enjoy the review and I am going to go on the positive like always since...well...negativity is for weak people. I'll put some cautions to the wind though for you "parents" and "sensitve" readers.
Preview for Pygmy
"Begins here of first account of operative me, agent number 67 on arrival Midwestern American airport greater xxxxxx area. Flight xxxxxx. Date xxxxxx. Priority mission top success to complete. Code name: Operation Havoc.
Thus speaks Pygmy, one of a handful of young adults from a totalitarian state sent to the United States, disguised as exchange students, to live with typical American families and blend in, all the while planning an unspecified act of massive terrorism. Palahniuk depects Miswestern life through the eyes of this thoroughly indoctrinated little killer, who hates us with a passion, in this cunning double-edged satire of American xenophobia that might, in fact, be completely justified. For Pygmy and his fellow operative are cooking up something big, something truly aweful, that will bring this big dumb country and its fat dumb inhabitants to their knees.
It's also a comedy. And a romance.Review for Pygmy
Now I have to say that this book is something a little different from the other books Palahniuk has written. In all respects, people who are big Palahniuk fans believe that his writing is straying from his original formula which I do see but innovating one's self is always something people may need to do to really truly find one's niche in writing. If you stagnant yourself, then you end up like per say Dan Brown who's books are same format all the way through despite how entertaining they are.
Anyways, this format is done through the 1st person telling of the main character Pygmy and he is speaking in broken English. Just read the first paragraph of the preview above and you'll see what I mean. Because of this direction, people may be disgusted or may not even be able to keep reading the book. I read some reviews from people who did not finish the book just because they couldn't handle the writing style. Personally, I don't think a review is fit if the reader hasn't made it to the end. There might be more to the book than what they think but missed it all because...well...they didn't make it to the end.
I however made it and thought the book was really good but not up to par with even his last novel Snuff. Now I am not saying its a bad book for this book is very good but the story seems to be a little weak compared to all the shock stories Palahniuk did in his past. Actually, Snuff was the start of the downturn since the ending in Rant: An Oral Biography of Buster Casey was very unexpected and I didn't expect the book to make the turn it did. With this book, the preview is pretty much straight-forward and from how the book reads, you can tell a lot of what is going to happen before it even happens. I kind of saw Pygmy accepting life in America and becoming a citizen, being adopted with his host family. I saw Pygmy falling in love with his adopted sister. I saw some of the operatives he knew feeling the same way he did. The story was pretty much basic plotline but the energy writing this book was put more in the broken English than in the story itself.
Character-wise, I have to say that Pygmy makes an interesting operative but progression of his emotions seem a little lacking. Personally, I like the American family he is adopted by more because they have numerous problems that are very present with most American families these days but emphasized in each individual. The father is a fat man who overworks at the office. The mother is a skinny chicken who stays at home taking care of the family but is extremely sexually-depraved. The son is a fat pig who is trying to score and the daughter is a very beautiful girl who is keeping to her individuality despite everyone seeing her as a mere sex object. In all respects, I think its all the supporting characters that make Pygmy interesting because in general to me, he is interesting enough to keep the story going but it is very common with other novels, and they don't even have to be transgressive.
Finally, the moral of the story is that there is always good even in the most messed-up of situations, places, and outcomes. Salvation seems to come to different people in different ways and it is shown with the symbolism that religion (Christianity in this book) wasn't the salvation for Pygmy but the fact that through the families sinful nature how real they are. In other words, the imperfections of people were what saved Pygmy to the point he turned on his country. All in all a very good book but I am sure it is a rental to most people since it is very short for an adult novel. It's only 240 pages and the text is actually kind of big. A guaranteed rental if you like Chuck Palahniuk, transgressional fiction, or satire. For me, it was a buy since I have all of Chuck Palahniuk's novels and...well...I like to read everything. I don't specialize since specialization is for weak people.
Faith Saves All!
Alpha OUT!
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