Stranger than Fiction: True Stories

"This collection from shock novelist Palahniuk (Choke; Lullaby) is an eye-opening look at the raw material that goes into Palahniuk's fiction, as well as proof that the novelist's art is derived from keen observation and recording of details. Often these are as grotesque as a closeup in a horror film (e.g., in talking to a group of wrestlers enduring Olympic tryouts, Palahniuk focuses on their injuries, both physical and emotional). Half the essays are magazine assignments and include insightful profiles of rock star Marilyn Manson, indie-movie queen Juliette Lewis and a high schooler who wants to explore space via a homemade rocket. Others offer the author's impressions of a demolition derby, the Rock Creek Lodge Testicle Festival and life aboard the USS Louisiana. Palahniuk often philosophizes, dwelling on the effects his fiction has had on 'reality,' especially the obsession his fans have had with his novel Fight Club. Palahniuk is fixated on the transformation of life's raw material into fiction and the writing process itself, which he sees as having the potential for self-fulfillment. (Incidentally, Brad Pitt, who played Fight Club's protagonist, emerges as Palahniuk's alter ego, and a number of the essays play on this theme, creating a patchwork memoir.) Palahniuk's fans will undoubtedly revel in the secrets the author reveals. Newcomers might initially feel queasy, but they're likely to warm up to his visceral prose and come to enjoy it. (June)" Publishers Weekly (Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information, Inc.)

"Unlike his novels...this collection...suggests that Palahniuk actually likes humanity — or at least some parts of it....Dolorous yet exhilarating dispatches from the edge." Kirkus Reviews

"[T]he best narratives here — particularly a lengthy one on Americans who build European-style castles — show Palahniuk's deep compassion for oddballs and misfits, a hard-boiled kindness for which his fans revere him." John Green, Booklist

"Among sick puppies, Palahniuk is the top dog....A unique talent." People

"Palahniuk is one of the freshest, most intriguing voices to appear in a long time." Newsday

"Dark riffing on modernity is the reason people read Palahniuk. His books are not so much novels as jagged fables, cautionary tales about the creeping peril represented by almost everything." Time

"Maybe our generation has found its Don DeLillo." Bret Easton Ellis

"[A] grab bag of barely edited nonfiction pieces....Chapters about Palahniuk's murderous grandfather and his fondness for Brad Pitt's lips should sate biographical completists. (Grade: D)" Noah Robischon, Entertainment Weekly

Chuck Palahniuk's six novels are the bestselling Diary, Choke, Lullaby, and Fight Club — which was made into a film by director David Fincher — Survivor, and Invisible Monsters. He is also the author of a nonfiction profile of Portland, Fugitives and Refugees, published as part of the Crown Journeys series. His most recent novel is Haunted. He lives in Portland, Oregon.