The Invention of Sound

Chuck Palahniuk was my go to for years. I'm not sure if he has changed or if I have, but this was my second of his this year and I was left disappointed each time.

First off, you have to go into a Palahniuk book knowing everyone you are about to meet is extremely damaged and likely insane. Do not expect normal. Expect weird. Expect (seemingly) disjointed plot lines with lots of useless facts sprinkled about on subjects you have never even thought of before.

The first half of Invention of Sound is classic Palahniuk, lots of intrigue mixed with massive amounts of weird and disturbing people and plotlines. There was all these great ideas floating around and then...well. The ending was a bit of a mess; too many plot lines being juggled at show more once and none of them came to a successful conclusion.

If you're looking for a good Palahniuk read, I would recommend [b:Diary|22284|Diary|Chuck Palahniuk|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1388196823l/22284._SY75_.jpg|1602261] and [b:Lullaby|22206|Lullaby|Chuck Palahniuk|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1327268513l/22206._SY75_.jpg|1311854]. Lullaby or Diary the Invention of Sound is not. show less

This is a dark story - a dark dark story. With such a cute cover, the bright pink and yellow, the watermelon on the cover - I thought there would be some horror, some crazy stuff, some light chuckles.

This was just dark. As Foster searches for his daughter, he has to visit the most vile places of the dark web. Child pornography. He wants to memorize all the guys - he wants to kill them all. He wants to know if he bumps in to one on the street.

Then there's Mitzi Ives - she some how manages to acquire screams that she labels things like "Praying Girl, Stabbed Brutally, Rapid Exsanguination." I mean, she's not coy, she's not hiding what's going on here. She's naming that scream for what it is. She sells these screams to movie places, video show more games, etc. But this isn't as easy for Mitzi as she makes it seems and she's taking an awful lot of Ambien drowned down with wine and she's seeking some awfully sadistic sexual encounters.

I wanted to shower after this one. I wanted to put it down a few times because it's just so awful, but I knew if I did, I wouldn't pick it back up (the elevator with the girl, ugh). So while it had an interesting scope of grief (the dad) and serial killer crazy (Mitzi), I can't really say I "liked" it. show less

After reading this book and going to check out the other books written by this author, I actually was a bit surprised that this is my first introduction to Mr. Palahniuk. So you could say I popped my "cherry" with this book. What a book too.

It just goes to show that you don't always need all the gory details. I meant look at Alfred Hitchcock. Point in case...Psycho. The shower scene did not show you the woman being stabbed multiple times but just the image of the blood running down the shower drain was enough to give you chills. Same goes with Mitzi. Just like the descriptions she provided about her "extracurricular activities" was enough to give you some chills. I know because my imagination was going crazy with the images playing in show more my head.

Then there is Foster. He may not be the perfect vigilante but he had tons of heart Which made cheering for him easy. I was so engaged in this book that I read it in a matter of hours. Yes, hours! I will tell you that I will not be listening to horror movies the same way again. The Invention of Sound is not to be missed. show less

A short but dark and twisted story. Think modern horror fairytale. This was my first book by Chuck Palahniuk and I was pretty taken aback (in a good way).

I had 2 complaints: first, I found the writing distracting at times. I don’t know how to describe it except almost Yoda-like. Second, it jumped around in perspective and time too often. Once you got settled in, it would switch. Maybe it was for effect so you just felt perpetually uncomfortable? It annoyed me though if I’m being honest.

That being said I think the story itself is incredibly creative and I really liked it. Overall, 3.5*.

Like many I first came to Palahniuk by way of the movie Fight Club. Prior to this novel I have only ever read Rant. The Invention of Sound, like all of Palahniuk's work, takes on the repulsive of underground culture and brings them right to the surface. While the story is itself built on utterly disgusting themes and ideas it is what Chuck Palahniuk does with these in his writing and characterization that makes this book and Rant and I can only imagine all his otherwork so very good.

The human element and the characters are the focus in this book and that is what will keep you hooked till the very end. Really good read. Very challenging due to the subject matter but this is the case with all of Palahniuk's writing.

Vintage Chuck, excellent story, very interesting and very over the top. I was left with a few questions, but very good nonetheless. If you like Chuck, you’ll like it.

This is my first novel by Chuck Palahniuk. Boy was I in shock to find out he wrote Fight Club. As a person who loves to read, I am so bad and usually don't read blurbs so yea very surprised. This is one of those books where you have many flawed, but interesting characters. It's a quick, dark, and twisted read.