Chuck Palahniuk | Snuff

Not my cup of tea, but there's something in there.

Disclaimer. I am 20 years old, as of the date. I understand these kinds of things. Kinda.

Snuff by Chuck Palahniuk (Goodreads Author) Narrated by Mr. 72, Mr. 137, and Mr. 600 as they await their turn on camera, a novel about the role of pornography in contemporary life follows porn queen Cassie Wright, who plans to break the record for serial fornication with six hundred men on camera. [via Goodreads]

I don't know if this is just another piece that would produce a commentary about the porn industry, or it was supposed to be a satirical attempt to point out that there's drama in porn. Or that porn stars are human, too? I don't know. Either way, I cannot help but imagine this work as a theatrical play. I am pretty sure that if this was written as a lengthy act, it would probably be better off. There's something about the character development that would suit the stage.

 There's a plot, alright. A good one, actually. Show/Hide spoilers.

There's this actress who gave up her child for adoption, wanted to do something remarkable for her career that would probably kill her but make her child rich (from the insurance, win-win). Some dude who always thought that he was the actress' child came to save his mother. He met the "father" who turned out to be an old colleague of the actress. Turned out, the child wasn't a son. It was a daughter. And this daughter, who wanted to get her revenge, came as the actress' assistant. But the actress knows. She wanted to die for the insurance money, so it was a suicide mission. She asked the father to bring a cyanide pill, just to make sure of it. But in the end, they both died. 

Well, I have learned some things along the way, so good job!

- Marilyn Monroe used Zelda Zonk as an Alias.

- Cyanide smells like almonds.

- Almonds have cyanide.

- Marilyn Monroe probably wore non-matching heels to let her butt roll as she walks.

- Some ancient woman Melisanna... Melanie? Melisandre? Something.

This one got me interested (at least interested enough to keep reading) up until the three-quarters part, and from there, the plot was dying. The ending part... noting. I mean, the rapid fire of commotions and useless blabberings had me wanting to just finish it just for the sake of it. Nothing to look forward to.

Another issue: Repetitive Dialogue.

Then there is this quote:

"The closest thing that comes to how the day felt is when you wipe back to front. You're on the toilet. You're not thinking, and you smear shit on the back of your hanging-down wrinkled ball skin. The more you try to wipe it clean, the skin stretches and the mess keeps getting bigger. The thin layer of shit spreads into the hair and down your thighs. That's how a day like this, how it feels to keep secret."

(Snuff, page 4...AND page 187)

Apparently, that's how people with balls deal with their shit. BUT WHO WIPES BACK TO FRONT?  I cannot comprehend please tell me I really don't get the point of writing this passage twice.

Interested? Here's a video that I got from Chuck Palahniuk's website.

Why is Cassie Wright so huge? And man-like?