Paperback, 336 pages
French language
Published May 14, 2002 by Denoël.
Victor Mancini, a medical-school dropout, is an antihero for our deranged times. Needing to pay elder care for his mother, Victor has devised an ingenious scam: he pretends to choke on pieces of food while dining in upscale restaurants. He then allows himself to be "saved" by fellow patrons who, feeling responsible for Victor's life, go on to send checks to support him. When he's not pulling this stunt, Victor cruises sexual addiction recovery workshops for action, visits his addled mom, and spends his days working at a colonial theme park. His creator, Chuck Palahniuk, is the visionary we need and the satirist we deserve.From the Trade Paperback edition.
Una novela gamberra que me hubiera gustado infinitamente más si la hubiese leído a los veinte años. Es completamente el tipo de mierda que me flipaba. Ahora mismo me ha gustado, aprecio los recursos y hace que limpie un poco el polvo de mi espíritu veinteañero, lo cual es muy agradable. Pero creo que he llegado un poco tarde. Chuck Palanhiuk escribe hilando conceptos como dios, eso sí. 8-)
Choke is weird. It is trying to be a cohesive narrative with insightful commentary on some overground part of our society much akin to Fight Club or Invisible Monsters, yet it is filled with as much porn as Snuff which is literally a book about one long porno. It quite simply does not work. And, if we are honest, Choke is much closer to Snuff, except Palahniuk had enough decency not to pretend that Snuff is something more than a carnival of debauchery, while for some reason, he did try to convince us that Choke is somehow more profound. He did not succeed, for the plot is actually as thin as that of a porno. There, barely, just so we could pretend we are respectable human beings who would never consume outright porn. Sex was also terribly boring, which is sad. Could not even get a good wank …
Choke is weird. It is trying to be a cohesive narrative with insightful commentary on some overground part of our society much akin to Fight Club or Invisible Monsters, yet it is filled with as much porn as Snuff which is literally a book about one long porno. It quite simply does not work. And, if we are honest, Choke is much closer to Snuff, except Palahniuk had enough decency not to pretend that Snuff is something more than a carnival of debauchery, while for some reason, he did try to convince us that Choke is somehow more profound. He did not succeed, for the plot is actually as thin as that of a porno. There, barely, just so we could pretend we are respectable human beings who would never consume outright porn. Sex was also terribly boring, which is sad. Could not even get a good wank out of it.
This is the first Palahniuk novel I've read. I wasn't that impressed. Victor isn't very likable, and pretty much a jerk to everyone in his life. The story itself is interesting, as far as his origins, but all the crap about his day job and his status as a "sexaholic" seemed to be unnecessary as the novel came to a close. Really, only the first 100pgs and the last 40pgs actually moved the plot, so if you're ready to read 153 useless pages, have at it.
Great!
This is my first Palahniuk novel, and I must say it was quite enjoyable. I disagree w/the first sentence of the book however, and the many warnings to "stop reading."
I'd read another of his books.
