Make Something Up

March 9, 2015
For the first time, Palahniuk (Beautiful You) collects his short stories, which feature his signature humor, horror, and grit. Old fans will relish Tyler Durden, from Palahniuk’s debut 1996 novel Fight Club, returning in “Expedition” to spread his twisted influence in Hamburg, Germany. Also included are previously published stories such as “Zombies,” in which the newest high school fad is lobotomy by defibrillator; “Phoenix,” in which a broken family deals with the aftermath of a house fire; and the cringe-worthy “Cannibal,” capable of turning stomachs. Not surprisingly, Palahniuk finds sincerity among his characters even in disreputable occurrences in “Romance” and “How a Jew Saved Christmas.” Some of his never-before-published stories show him experimenting with voice and style to mixed success, but the biggest winner is the novella “Inclinations,” which follows a group of teenagers checked into a “gay cure” hospital. Other stories deal with fire, bodily fluids, malfunctions, critiques of material society, bestiality, a bewitched tennis ball, and a murder at a Burning Man–type retreat. The collection is essential for Palahniuk fans and will likely win him some new ones.

Palahniuk (Beautiful You, 2014, etc.) comes roaring back from a stretch of experimentalism with 23 tales celebrating his ongoing affection for the macabre. It's been a while since we've seen Chuck at his most hard-core; he spent the last few years toying with satire, working his way into the heads of female narrators and curating the twisted anthology Burnt Tongues (2014). Here, he makes it absolutely clear that he's still the man who wrote "Guts," the infamous story that made fans pass out at readings. "The Toad Prince" makes "Guts" look like a fairy tale by comparison. It's the story of an enterprising young pervert who has infected his member with a fistful of vile diseases in order to launch a new era in extreme body modification fetishism. "Romance" takes apart traditional relationships with the story of a chubby dude who falls in love with a superhot Britney Spears look-alike who may or may not be dimwitted on a level approaching disability. There are some echoes here-"Eleanor" is written in a strange, imitative patois that strongly recalls the novel Pygmy (2009), and a trio of fables resembles David Sedaris' Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk. But the core stories are pure muscle. The book opens with "Knock-knock," about a son trying to save his father from death with dirty jokes. The best (black) comedy comes from "Zombies," which finds America's gifted teens indulging in the hot new fad of taking a defibrillator to their skulls. The purest horror comes from "Inclinations," which begins with an adolescent girl using her unplanned pregnancies to collect Porsches from her parents before delving into a catalog of horrors at a sexual reorientation camp for teens. For fans, the book has "Expedition," which contains Palahniuk's first hints about Tyler Durden's true nature in advance of the upcoming Fight Club 2, to be released as comic books starting soon. Pathos and panic and penitence from one of the darkest and most singular minds in contemporary American lit.

April 1, 2015
Given that Fight Club author Palahniuk can be a lot to handle when he's just telling you one story, picking up Make Something Up might demand some psychological preparation. The anthology lines up 22 of Palahniuk's best short stories with no interest in easing you into or out of the disturbing, hilarious, and bizarre roller coaster of transgressive creativity. Vignettes of grotesque body horror are bookended by stories with titles such as Why Coyote Never Had Money for Parking and Why Aardvark Never Went to the Moon. Even as you likely suffer debilitating motion sickness from the jarring emotional turns on every other page, you'll be inescapably restrained by an author who knows exactly what he's doing and has you right where he wants you. Palahniuk's uniquely modern style throws out any antiquated conventions that could keep him from destroying any expectations that keep you in complacent narrative comfort. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Much of Make Something Up is not for the squeamish or otherwise sensitive reader, but none of it is to be missed by those who highly regard this popular writer.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)

December 1, 2014

Palahniuk's Haunted had a novel-in-stories format, but this book is being billed as the author's first full-fledged short story collection. Included are 21 stories and one novella; there's even a prequel to Fight Club.

Copyright 2014 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 15, 2015

Billed as Palahniuk's first collection, this volume features 21 stories and one novella, some never before published, As usual, the author's tales cover a wide variety of life experiences, some we would rather not think about. Whether exploring deceitful fathers, children using their sexuality to manipulate their parents, or teens whose latest fad is electrocuting themselves into a permanent stupor, Palahniuk takes his usual strange, off-kilter viewpoint on things we all deal with in life: fitting in, the desire for success, etc. Many of the stories are written as fables with anthropomorphized animal characters which try to find success in their careers or get through their teenage years. And Tyler Durden, the character from Fight Club, makes a brief appearance in "Expedition." Readers will find a similar tone in the Palahniuk-edited anthology Burnt Tongues. VERDICT You either love Palahniuk or hate him. For new readers, this compilation offers a small taste of the author's style. His faithful fans will be entertained, intrigued, and at times a little disgusted, but what else would we expect from Palahniuk? [See Prepub Alert, 11/3/14.]--Brooke Bolton, North Manchester P.L., IN

Copyright 2015 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.