Choke

Just yesterday I completed my third Chuck Palahniuk novel of the summer. My friend Dave Winters, who is both an English teacher and the most loyal reader of Palahniuk's novels I know, told me that Choke is the funniest of the man's books. Compared to the other three books I've experienced, I'd have to say Dave is right.

Despite its laugh-out-loud level of funniness, I found myself disappointed with the overall story of the novel. That is, until I reached page 270. The turn that occurs on this page begins bringing all the threads and themes of this book together in an excellent way. It also provided me a laugh so profound that I cackled for two minutes straight and for another whole minute later in the day when I recalled what I had read hours before. You might say that the entire book builds up to this one fantastic gag. The remaning 23 pages clarify the "message" the author seeks to convey through this book. The ending of the book not only validates all the content that comes before; it is also satisfying in and of itself. 4 out of 4 stars.

As for a summary of the book's setting, I don't think I could do any better than the one provided on the back cover: "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."

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If my summer reading is to include yet another novel by Palahniuk, I anticipate that it will be Fight Club. It is Palahniuk's first and most famous novel, and Dave Winters tells me it is still his best. Given how much I have enjoyed books like Choke and Lullaby, Fight Club has to be pretty damn excellent. The only reason I've stayed away from it thus far is that I've seen David Fincher's film adaptation of the book many, many times.

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One final tidbit about Choke: A film version of the novel will be released in late September.