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Lullaby
Carl Streator is a reporter investigating Sudden Infant Death Syndrome for a soft-news feature. After responding to several calls with paramedics, he notices that all the dead children were read the same poem from the same library book the night before they died. It's a 'culling song' - an ancient African spell for euthanising sick or old people. Researching it, he meets a woman who killed her own child with it accidentally. He himself accidentally killed his own wife and child with the same poem twenty years earlier. Together, the man and the woman must find and destroy all copies of this book, and try not to kill every rude sonofabitch that gets in their way. Lullaby is a comedy/drama/tragedy. In that order. It may also be Chuck Palahniuk's best book yet.
260 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2002
About the author
Chuck Palahniuk
201 books129k followersWritten in stolen moments under truck chassis and on park benches to a soundtrack of The Downward Spiral and Pablo Honey, Fight Club came into existence. The adaptation of Fight Club was a flop at the box office, but achieved cult status on DVD. The film’s popularity drove sales of the novel. Chuck put out two novels in 1999, Survivor and Invisible Monsters. Choke, published in 2001, became Chuck’s first New York Times bestseller. Chuck’s work has always been infused with personal experience, and his next novel, Lullaby, was no exception. Chuck credits writing Lullaby with helping him cope with the tragic death of his father. Diary and the non-fiction guide to Portland, Fugitives and Refugees, were released in 2003. While on the road in support of Diary, Chuck began reading a short story entitled 'Guts,' which would eventually become part of the novel Haunted.
In the years that followed, he continued to write, publishing the bestselling Rant, Snuff, Pygmy, Tell-All, a 'remix' of Invisible Monsters, Damned, and most recently, Doomed.
Chuck also enjoys giving back to his fans, and teaching the art of storytelling has been an important part of that. In 2004, Chuck began submitting essays to ChuckPalahniuk.net on the craft of writing. These were 'How To' pieces, straight out of Chuck's personal bag of tricks, based on the tenants of minimalism he learned from Tom Spanbauer. Every month, a “Homework Assignment” would accompany the lesson, so Workshop members could apply what they had learned. (all 36 of these essays can currently be found on The Cult's sister-site, LitReactor.com).
Then, in 2009, Chuck increased his involvement by committing to read and review a selection of fan-written stories each month. The best stories are currently set to be published in Burnt Tongues, a forthcoming anthology, with an introduction written by Chuck himself.
His next novel, Beautiful You, is due out in October 2014.
In the years that followed, he continued to write, publishing the bestselling Rant, Snuff, Pygmy, Tell-All, a 'remix' of Invisible Monsters, Damned, and most recently, Doomed.
Chuck also enjoys giving back to his fans, and teaching the art of storytelling has been an important part of that. In 2004, Chuck began submitting essays to ChuckPalahniuk.net on the craft of writing. These were 'How To' pieces, straight out of Chuck's personal bag of tricks, based on the tenants of minimalism he learned from Tom Spanbauer. Every month, a “Homework Assignment” would accompany the lesson, so Workshop members could apply what they had learned. (all 36 of these essays can currently be found on The Cult's sister-site, LitReactor.com).
Then, in 2009, Chuck increased his involvement by committing to read and review a selection of fan-written stories each month. The best stories are currently set to be published in Burnt Tongues, a forthcoming anthology, with an introduction written by Chuck himself.
His next novel, Beautiful You, is due out in October 2014.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 3,545 reviews
August 6, 2007
Oh Chuck Palahniuk, why do the kids love you? Years and years and years have passed while I have worked in a bookstore and every single year is the same, some kind of cool hipster guy or girl will come in and ask for anything by Chuck Palahniuk, bestowing praises upon his writing. Okay, I get it. The hipsters love him. Brad Pitt was in a movie based on a Palahnuik book, which was about crazy wacky anarchy, which the young hipsters love.
So, I finally sat myself down and cracked open this lovely bird of a book.
I wanted to like it. I really did. I wanted to be part of that faction... the I love Chuck Palahnuik, I smoke Camels, I roll the cuffs of my jeans and wear studded belts, but only on occasion, cause really I wear AE gear, but not AE gear bought from an actual AE store, but from a thrift shop, where it costs roughly the same amount of money if I were to buy it new, but I didn't, someone else, a stranger in fact, wore this shirt before me, thus I am cooler than you cause I bought this shirt at a thrift shop, and I have a tattoo... maybe I have two... you'll never know cause I'm mysterious, and I play the guitar, but not really, I can only play three cords, but really that's enough to make it seem like I know what I'm doing, have you ever read Vonnegut?
I didn't like this book. I didn't hate it. I just didn't like it. A poem (lullaby) that has the ability to kill people when read aloud? I thought those were called Mattie Stepanek poems. ZING!
Sorry Mattie fans. I know the kid got dealt a bad card(s), but seriously? Have you read his stuff?
So, I finally sat myself down and cracked open this lovely bird of a book.
I wanted to like it. I really did. I wanted to be part of that faction... the I love Chuck Palahnuik, I smoke Camels, I roll the cuffs of my jeans and wear studded belts, but only on occasion, cause really I wear AE gear, but not AE gear bought from an actual AE store, but from a thrift shop, where it costs roughly the same amount of money if I were to buy it new, but I didn't, someone else, a stranger in fact, wore this shirt before me, thus I am cooler than you cause I bought this shirt at a thrift shop, and I have a tattoo... maybe I have two... you'll never know cause I'm mysterious, and I play the guitar, but not really, I can only play three cords, but really that's enough to make it seem like I know what I'm doing, have you ever read Vonnegut?
I didn't like this book. I didn't hate it. I just didn't like it. A poem (lullaby) that has the ability to kill people when read aloud? I thought those were called Mattie Stepanek poems. ZING!
Sorry Mattie fans. I know the kid got dealt a bad card(s), but seriously? Have you read his stuff?
August 25, 2020
This was the first time I'd read a Palahniuk novel. It will probably be the only time too. The experience was something like grinding my body up against a human sized cheese-grater. Painful as hell. Just terrible. Hated all the characters - and I've never known a plot to go off the rails as much as this one - I mean - sweet Jesus! - it all got pretty darn stupid, and wasn't; as some others suggest, funny at all. I understand it's suppose to be a satire directed towards a media-saturated society, but I didn't see it that way. Others might. I didn't. I'd read a few Douglas Coupland novels before this: who is not the greatest of writers, and even the worst of them felt really good in comparison. In Lullaby there is an ancient Zulu culling song: that is now a short poem, and it causes anyone who listens to it to die.
If only it would kill the very book that it features in.
If only it would kill the very book that it features in.
May 8, 2017
4.5 STARS
Not since the guy who writes error messages for Microsoft have I seen anyone who can piss off his critics more. It seems like you either ‘get’ his writing or you don’t.
Personally, I’ve only read five of his novels so far, but (with the exception of Rant, perhaps) I thought they were all great.
Here’s the thing:
His books aren’t very long, which means he uses his words sparingly and to maximum effect. His sense of humor is dark and shocking, something I can appreciate. He always comes up with something that’s so far out there that I would have never thought of it – it doesn’t have to be the main plot, but you will find something in there that goes beyond what you perceive as normal human behaviour. And he always manages to make you feel, be it happy, sad, disgusted, whatever!
As a writer, he ticks all the right boxes – isn’t the most important thing to evoke emotion from your readers?
If you are easily shocked, stay far away from this man’s books. For those who likes to creep closer to the edge, enjoy the ride.
Not since the guy who writes error messages for Microsoft have I seen anyone who can piss off his critics more. It seems like you either ‘get’ his writing or you don’t.
Personally, I’ve only read five of his novels so far, but (with the exception of Rant, perhaps) I thought they were all great.
Here’s the thing:
His books aren’t very long, which means he uses his words sparingly and to maximum effect. His sense of humor is dark and shocking, something I can appreciate. He always comes up with something that’s so far out there that I would have never thought of it – it doesn’t have to be the main plot, but you will find something in there that goes beyond what you perceive as normal human behaviour. And he always manages to make you feel, be it happy, sad, disgusted, whatever!
As a writer, he ticks all the right boxes – isn’t the most important thing to evoke emotion from your readers?
If you are easily shocked, stay far away from this man’s books. For those who likes to creep closer to the edge, enjoy the ride.
July 28, 2022
Can’t beat a bit of old school Chuck! I thought I had read most of his stuff but realised I haven’t read two novels, this being one of them.
I loved being back inside his twisted world and ideas.
I loved being back inside his twisted world and ideas.
May 10, 2012
To most people a lullaby is a soothing song meant to help coax a child to sleep, but in Chuck Palahniuk’s hands it becomes a death spell that can kill anyone. Of course, that’s not twisted enough for Chuckie P. so he had to throw in some witchcraft, necrophilia and dead babies to really make it a party.
Carl Streator is a newspaper reporter working on a feature about infant crib deaths, and he has his own tragic experience in that area. When Streator sees a book containing an African chant at several homes where the baby died, he does more digging and discovers that it‘s a culling song that can be used to kill just by thinking it. Since Carl has a few anger problems, this leads to a lot of deaths of people who annoy him as he tries to get control.
Streator seeks help from Helen Hoover Boyle a realtor who specializes in flipping haunted houses and who also knows the culling song. He convinces her that they should take a road trip to destroy all the copies of the book, but her secretary Mona, a witch wannabe, and her animal rights activist and all around asshole of a boyfriend Oyster end up coming along for the ride. Mona also convinces them that the culling song probably came from a powerful spell book they should try to locate.
The culling song is a nifty hook for the story and Streator’s tendency to off anyone who’s pissing him off provides some dark hilarity. My biggest problem with this one is that Streator is a complete moron. He instantly realizes the chaos that would occur if anyone else figured out the culling song and how to use it, but then he promptly blabs about it to Mona and a disgusting EMT with a penchant for corpse sex. He often can't control himself with the culling song and kills people for offenses like having their TV’s too loud or bumping into him on the street, yet somehow he manages not to whack the ultra-annoying Oyster.
Then he invites Oyster and Mona on the road to destroy the book. So you’re trying to destroy a dangerous spell that can kill people and you bring along a guy who spends every waking moment telling you all the crimes people have committed against animals. Guess how well that turns out?
Carl Streator is a newspaper reporter working on a feature about infant crib deaths, and he has his own tragic experience in that area. When Streator sees a book containing an African chant at several homes where the baby died, he does more digging and discovers that it‘s a culling song that can be used to kill just by thinking it. Since Carl has a few anger problems, this leads to a lot of deaths of people who annoy him as he tries to get control.
Streator seeks help from Helen Hoover Boyle a realtor who specializes in flipping haunted houses and who also knows the culling song. He convinces her that they should take a road trip to destroy all the copies of the book, but her secretary Mona, a witch wannabe, and her animal rights activist and all around asshole of a boyfriend Oyster end up coming along for the ride. Mona also convinces them that the culling song probably came from a powerful spell book they should try to locate.
The culling song is a nifty hook for the story and Streator’s tendency to off anyone who’s pissing him off provides some dark hilarity. My biggest problem with this one is that Streator is a complete moron. He instantly realizes the chaos that would occur if anyone else figured out the culling song and how to use it, but then he promptly blabs about it to Mona and a disgusting EMT with a penchant for corpse sex. He often can't control himself with the culling song and kills people for offenses like having their TV’s too loud or bumping into him on the street, yet somehow he manages not to whack the ultra-annoying Oyster.
Then he invites Oyster and Mona on the road to destroy the book. So you’re trying to destroy a dangerous spell that can kill people and you bring along a guy who spends every waking moment telling you all the crimes people have committed against animals. Guess how well that turns out?
August 7, 2007
Chuck has never been a very good writer. He comes up with interesting ideas, uses them as a vehicle for a shitty novel, then I read it, and am disappointed every time. I have since stopped reading his books but my girlfriend says they still suck.
December 28, 2015
Eudora Welty once said something to the effect that Southern gothic works because people in the South can still recognize grotesque.
Chuck Palahniuk may be the vanguard of the post-modern gothic literary group as he can definitely recognize what is grotesque in our culture. “Sticks and stones can break my bones, but words can never hurt me” is an old saying that Palahniuk dissects and violates with an impish joy usually only seen in 8th grade biology.
Centered around the unfortunate discovery of an old African culling song that can kill when read (or thought) Palahniuk creates a loose allegory that examines how our saturation with noise and our hyper addiction to media has created a blunted, spiritually lethal society. Like reading Christopher Moore I cringe when I read Palahniuk’s work, feeling guilty for laughing, but buried amidst the bizarre scenarios and the locker room humor are social and cultural insights that are worth the effort.
This is more like Invisible Monsters than Fight Club, but as entertaining as either in its own weird Kafkaesque way and demonstrating a common misanthropic thread that may connect all of his work.
Chuck Palahniuk may be the vanguard of the post-modern gothic literary group as he can definitely recognize what is grotesque in our culture. “Sticks and stones can break my bones, but words can never hurt me” is an old saying that Palahniuk dissects and violates with an impish joy usually only seen in 8th grade biology.
Centered around the unfortunate discovery of an old African culling song that can kill when read (or thought) Palahniuk creates a loose allegory that examines how our saturation with noise and our hyper addiction to media has created a blunted, spiritually lethal society. Like reading Christopher Moore I cringe when I read Palahniuk’s work, feeling guilty for laughing, but buried amidst the bizarre scenarios and the locker room humor are social and cultural insights that are worth the effort.
This is more like Invisible Monsters than Fight Club, but as entertaining as either in its own weird Kafkaesque way and demonstrating a common misanthropic thread that may connect all of his work.
August 16, 2007
When you pick up a Chuck Palahniuk book you know that you are going to plunge ever-so-briefly into a raging torrent of absurdity, horror so whimsical that you laugh even as you cringe, and insightful looks at contemporary living. It seems a cheap shot to call his work formulaic, but once you've read through 6 or 7 of his books, the pattern emerges and you have a vague idea of what to expect.
It was Lullaby that finally brought this realization home to me. You have the protagonist, a man who seems like the picture of upstanding normality at first glance but who is eventually revealed to have a dark secret hidden in his past. You have the more experienced secondary character who helps to drive the story forward by slowly revealing some answers to the mystery. Then you have the comical minor characters, the latter-day Rosencratz and Guildenstern (or the R2D2 and C3PO if you want to take it that far) if you will, who play an important roll in the advancement of events but who also provide the brilliant moments of macabre hilarity. At some point they will all go on a roadtrip and Palahniuk will ruminate on the state of human existence at the turn of the 21st Century.
And so it goes for Lullaby. Features reporter Carl Streator is assigned to report on crib death for a mid-size Portland newspaper. As he visits site after site of these tragic deaths, he notices the constant appearance of a book of children's poems all laying open to Page 27. It appears that prior to dying the infants had all been read this particular poem. Being the thorough investigative reporter that he is, Streator traces crib deaths in his area back over 20 years until he comes across Helen Hoover Boyle, a Realtor who specializes in selling (and reselling and reselling again) haunted houses to unsuspecting clients, who may know the reason why this particular poem seems to kill. It's not long before Streator, Helen, her assistant Mona (known as Mulberry in the Wiccan circles in which she travels) and Mona's boyfriend Oyster embark on a roadtrip across the country to track down every copy of this culling poem to protect the sleeping infants of the world from inadvertent death.
Like I said it's formulaic, but this just makes it easier to focus on the odd details that Palahniuk likes to toss into the mix. Oyster's long narrations about the history of invasive foreign plants and how this can be used as a means to understand the cannibalistic psyche of modern man, an EMT who learns the culling poem so that he can kill fashion models and then have sex with their dead bodies, the twisted history of antique furniture- they all add together to form a novel that, while not spectacular, definitely envelops you and reminds you why it is that Palahniuk stands out as one of the best contemporary authors of today.
It was Lullaby that finally brought this realization home to me. You have the protagonist, a man who seems like the picture of upstanding normality at first glance but who is eventually revealed to have a dark secret hidden in his past. You have the more experienced secondary character who helps to drive the story forward by slowly revealing some answers to the mystery. Then you have the comical minor characters, the latter-day Rosencratz and Guildenstern (or the R2D2 and C3PO if you want to take it that far) if you will, who play an important roll in the advancement of events but who also provide the brilliant moments of macabre hilarity. At some point they will all go on a roadtrip and Palahniuk will ruminate on the state of human existence at the turn of the 21st Century.
And so it goes for Lullaby. Features reporter Carl Streator is assigned to report on crib death for a mid-size Portland newspaper. As he visits site after site of these tragic deaths, he notices the constant appearance of a book of children's poems all laying open to Page 27. It appears that prior to dying the infants had all been read this particular poem. Being the thorough investigative reporter that he is, Streator traces crib deaths in his area back over 20 years until he comes across Helen Hoover Boyle, a Realtor who specializes in selling (and reselling and reselling again) haunted houses to unsuspecting clients, who may know the reason why this particular poem seems to kill. It's not long before Streator, Helen, her assistant Mona (known as Mulberry in the Wiccan circles in which she travels) and Mona's boyfriend Oyster embark on a roadtrip across the country to track down every copy of this culling poem to protect the sleeping infants of the world from inadvertent death.
Like I said it's formulaic, but this just makes it easier to focus on the odd details that Palahniuk likes to toss into the mix. Oyster's long narrations about the history of invasive foreign plants and how this can be used as a means to understand the cannibalistic psyche of modern man, an EMT who learns the culling poem so that he can kill fashion models and then have sex with their dead bodies, the twisted history of antique furniture- they all add together to form a novel that, while not spectacular, definitely envelops you and reminds you why it is that Palahniuk stands out as one of the best contemporary authors of today.
June 18, 2015
“After long enough, everyone in the world will be your enemy.”
― Chuck Palahniuk, Lullaby
Chuck Palahniuk can sometimes be casually dismissed as an oversold shock author who appeals to a certain type of hipster reader who buys his books (and now comics) with a slavish devotion usually reserved for members of an asteroid cult. Sometimes that view rings true. Occasionally, Palahniuk will deliver a book or an idea that is more of a gimp monster or lame demon of mediocrity than an explosive novel of ideas. 'Lullaby' is not one of those hobbled novels. And to be fair to Palahniuk, he has now birthed enough solid fiction to deserve much of his cult status. He isn't a Nabokov, a McCarthy or a Roth, but he has developed a solid style and voice that is both recognizable and strong.
'Lullaby' is framed around two protagonists (Carl and Helen) and their "adopted" children (Mona and Oyster). This neo-elementary family are searching for all copies of a culling song found in an anthology of children's poetry and the original book of shadows. This ends up being a road novel where each of the four characters are in search of a different world, a different magic, a different end.
There were times in this novel where Palahniuk's rants against consumerism, pollution, invasive species, noise, etc., all seem in danger of consuming the narrative, but Palahniuk's sharp nimble seems to dance through the anger with the same ease as Carl and Helen dance past the dead.
― Chuck Palahniuk, Lullaby
Chuck Palahniuk can sometimes be casually dismissed as an oversold shock author who appeals to a certain type of hipster reader who buys his books (and now comics) with a slavish devotion usually reserved for members of an asteroid cult. Sometimes that view rings true. Occasionally, Palahniuk will deliver a book or an idea that is more of a gimp monster or lame demon of mediocrity than an explosive novel of ideas. 'Lullaby' is not one of those hobbled novels. And to be fair to Palahniuk, he has now birthed enough solid fiction to deserve much of his cult status. He isn't a Nabokov, a McCarthy or a Roth, but he has developed a solid style and voice that is both recognizable and strong.
'Lullaby' is framed around two protagonists (Carl and Helen) and their "adopted" children (Mona and Oyster). This neo-elementary family are searching for all copies of a culling song found in an anthology of children's poetry and the original book of shadows. This ends up being a road novel where each of the four characters are in search of a different world, a different magic, a different end.
There were times in this novel where Palahniuk's rants against consumerism, pollution, invasive species, noise, etc., all seem in danger of consuming the narrative, but Palahniuk's sharp nimble seems to dance through the anger with the same ease as Carl and Helen dance past the dead.
May 15, 2013
Brilliant. That's the word, the only word, that came to mind as I started reading Palahniuk's Lullaby. I struggled to keep reading, as I was too impressed with the prose. As a writer, reading Palahniuk made me feel like a dancing monkey in comparison.
By the time I hit the halfway mark, I struggled to keep reading for an altogether different reason. It had become too fragmented, repetitive, and just plain boring.
At the beginning, this passage stopped me. Full stop. Absolute. No going further out of awe:
"Helen, she's wearing a white suit and shoes, but not Snow White. It's more the white of downhill skiing in Banff with a private car and driver on call, fourteen pieces of matched luggage, and a suite at the Hotel Lake Louise."
By the time I had reached page 116, about halfway through, I've read about twenty passages stylistically the same.
This color. But not color like this, more like this extended metaphor.
Dull.
First time, brilliant. First few times, brilliant.
Twentieth, dull.
Okay. I might be exaggerating with the twenty mark. I didn't count, but it's repetitive enough to make it annoying. Unlike his other "choruses," like "I know this because Tyler knows this" or "these noise-aholics, these peace-aphobics" (and all the variations on that theme) or the counting to remain calm, it doesn't tie anything together. It doesn't do a thing past a look-at-how-well-I-can-write. Over and over, which defeats its own purpose. It's like those movie scenes so overdone they're obviously this-is-my-Oscar-winning-performance-scene.
Again with the ads Oyster, one of the many despicable characters in this novel, takes out to blackmail corporations. Really. Really. Old. I get it. I don't have to be beaten over the head with it.
**spoilers** -- **trigger warnings**
Then, on page 177 (Ch 29), after I skipped dozens of pages of the same-ol', same-ol' repetition, where no new character development is revealed nor is the plot projected forward, I came to the part where Streater remembers orally and vaginally raping his dead wife. Of course, he only thought she was unconscious, so it was just rape, not necrophilia. "It's not rape if they're dead."
This is where I stopped reading.
Not sure which was more disturbing, the fact that Streater calls it "the best he had" since before his child was born or that he didn't even bother to check on her after he got off with her unconscious, unresponsive form.
I'm utterly disgusted by Palahniuk, and I'm not sure I'll be reading anymore. Darkness is one thing. Disturbing is one thing, and I like things very dark, but something about this is beyond revolting. Thankfully, the protagonist and everyone, really, are all horrific people, so at least the rape isn't brushed off as something acceptable. That's the only thing that might get me to try another book.
This is the first Palahniuk book in which I'd gotten this far. I'm partially into Fight Club at the moment, the second time I've tried to read it. The first I found difficult to keep going for the same reason at the beginning: blown away by the prose. That, coupled with the movie playing in my head, made it hard for me to read. I'm trying again, and I hope to get through it this time.
Two stars, only because of the brilliant prose. I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone.
By the time I hit the halfway mark, I struggled to keep reading for an altogether different reason. It had become too fragmented, repetitive, and just plain boring.
At the beginning, this passage stopped me. Full stop. Absolute. No going further out of awe:
"Helen, she's wearing a white suit and shoes, but not Snow White. It's more the white of downhill skiing in Banff with a private car and driver on call, fourteen pieces of matched luggage, and a suite at the Hotel Lake Louise."
By the time I had reached page 116, about halfway through, I've read about twenty passages stylistically the same.
This color. But not color like this, more like this extended metaphor.
Dull.
First time, brilliant. First few times, brilliant.
Twentieth, dull.
Okay. I might be exaggerating with the twenty mark. I didn't count, but it's repetitive enough to make it annoying. Unlike his other "choruses," like "I know this because Tyler knows this" or "these noise-aholics, these peace-aphobics" (and all the variations on that theme) or the counting to remain calm, it doesn't tie anything together. It doesn't do a thing past a look-at-how-well-I-can-write. Over and over, which defeats its own purpose. It's like those movie scenes so overdone they're obviously this-is-my-Oscar-winning-performance-scene.
Again with the ads Oyster, one of the many despicable characters in this novel, takes out to blackmail corporations. Really. Really. Old. I get it. I don't have to be beaten over the head with it.
**spoilers** -- **trigger warnings**
Then, on page 177 (Ch 29), after I skipped dozens of pages of the same-ol', same-ol' repetition, where no new character development is revealed nor is the plot projected forward, I came to the part where Streater remembers orally and vaginally raping his dead wife. Of course, he only thought she was unconscious, so it was just rape, not necrophilia. "It's not rape if they're dead."
This is where I stopped reading.
Not sure which was more disturbing, the fact that Streater calls it "the best he had" since before his child was born or that he didn't even bother to check on her after he got off with her unconscious, unresponsive form.
I'm utterly disgusted by Palahniuk, and I'm not sure I'll be reading anymore. Darkness is one thing. Disturbing is one thing, and I like things very dark, but something about this is beyond revolting. Thankfully, the protagonist and everyone, really, are all horrific people, so at least the rape isn't brushed off as something acceptable. That's the only thing that might get me to try another book.
This is the first Palahniuk book in which I'd gotten this far. I'm partially into Fight Club at the moment, the second time I've tried to read it. The first I found difficult to keep going for the same reason at the beginning: blown away by the prose. That, coupled with the movie playing in my head, made it hard for me to read. I'm trying again, and I hope to get through it this time.
Two stars, only because of the brilliant prose. I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone.
April 21, 2024
I don’t write reviews.
“Old George Orwell got it backward. Big brother isn’t watching. He’s singing and dancing. He’s pulling rabbits out of a hat. Big Brother’s busy holding your attention every moment you’re awake. He’s making sure you’re always distracted. He’s making sure you’re fully absorbed. He’s making sure your imagination withers, until it’s as useful as your appendix. He’s making sure your attention is always filled. And this being fed, it’s worse than being watched. With the world always filling you, no one has to worry about what’s in your mind. With everyone’s imagination atrophied, no one will ever be a threat to the world.”
Ok, I get it, and there’s some truth in there. Except some things…. It IS indeed watching. And it’s distracting you and destroying your ability for independent thought. It’s killing your imagination hence, killing your purpose, your ability to look inside for happiness. Shredding your attention span so you can’t converse normally anymore. Unless the topic is you. A world of people trained from birth to be self-absorbed narcissists, eternal consumers, thoughts blotted out by the constant barrage of visual and auditory stimuli. Oh and you’re still being watched. Tracked. Your life in a series of data points.
Let’s play the quiet game and listen to ourselves. Listen to the voice inside that we drown out with tv and purchases and second-guessing. Then double that and share the quiet game with a friend. Make a bond. Dream a dream. Create for once instead of always destroying.
In this story, decisions are made, both good and bad. I want to believe the two main characters can shake off that outside noise and be people again. Hopefully, they’ll be people together, no matter what.
Plus, there are magic, spells, fancy furniture, jewels, killing, assassinations (yes, these are different than the killing), love, loss, vegan potlucks, naked covens, strange hobbies and cryogenics.
Book 5 - The Year of Chuck
“Old George Orwell got it backward. Big brother isn’t watching. He’s singing and dancing. He’s pulling rabbits out of a hat. Big Brother’s busy holding your attention every moment you’re awake. He’s making sure you’re always distracted. He’s making sure you’re fully absorbed. He’s making sure your imagination withers, until it’s as useful as your appendix. He’s making sure your attention is always filled. And this being fed, it’s worse than being watched. With the world always filling you, no one has to worry about what’s in your mind. With everyone’s imagination atrophied, no one will ever be a threat to the world.”
Ok, I get it, and there’s some truth in there. Except some things…. It IS indeed watching. And it’s distracting you and destroying your ability for independent thought. It’s killing your imagination hence, killing your purpose, your ability to look inside for happiness. Shredding your attention span so you can’t converse normally anymore. Unless the topic is you. A world of people trained from birth to be self-absorbed narcissists, eternal consumers, thoughts blotted out by the constant barrage of visual and auditory stimuli. Oh and you’re still being watched. Tracked. Your life in a series of data points.
Let’s play the quiet game and listen to ourselves. Listen to the voice inside that we drown out with tv and purchases and second-guessing. Then double that and share the quiet game with a friend. Make a bond. Dream a dream. Create for once instead of always destroying.
In this story, decisions are made, both good and bad. I want to believe the two main characters can shake off that outside noise and be people again. Hopefully, they’ll be people together, no matter what.
Plus, there are magic, spells, fancy furniture, jewels, killing, assassinations (yes, these are different than the killing), love, loss, vegan potlucks, naked covens, strange hobbies and cryogenics.
Book 5 - The Year of Chuck
August 23, 2015
Chuck took me on an interesting ride with Lullaby. It’s about a culling poem that will kill people when they hear it. But that’s a very simple way of explaining this book, there’s a lot more to it. It has several themes but it seems to be mostly about how people are never in total control of themselves. We are all possessed by something. I liked the way he talked about people that have problems with excess (ie. Drinking, eating, gambling, etc…) are actually being possessed by ghosts of people who couldn’t get enough of those things while they were still alive. It does seem like that. Some people can have all sorts of control of their life but yet in certain areas, have no control.
There is great deal of humor throughout and I found myself laughing out loud several times. He has a twisted sense of humor that resonates well my twisted sense of humor.
Much like Choke and Beautiful You, this book features a character who has a scheme of making money that is dark and twisted. She sell’s houses that are haunted and then gets the owners to keep quiet so she can sell it again within six months. It’s great stuff. I see the pattern in his books now which Fight Club hammered home with such solid force. Chuck writes about a modern world where people are dysphoric and depressed and they want what they think is there’s. Stepping on someone else’s toes is ok if the end justifies the means. Our world of ultra-consumerism has created a society of people going me me me with no end in sight and Chuck paints this picture exceptionally well.
There is great deal of humor throughout and I found myself laughing out loud several times. He has a twisted sense of humor that resonates well my twisted sense of humor.
Much like Choke and Beautiful You, this book features a character who has a scheme of making money that is dark and twisted. She sell’s houses that are haunted and then gets the owners to keep quiet so she can sell it again within six months. It’s great stuff. I see the pattern in his books now which Fight Club hammered home with such solid force. Chuck writes about a modern world where people are dysphoric and depressed and they want what they think is there’s. Stepping on someone else’s toes is ok if the end justifies the means. Our world of ultra-consumerism has created a society of people going me me me with no end in sight and Chuck paints this picture exceptionally well.
January 13, 2023
☆☆☆ e mezza stellina abbondante
"Avete riscontrato problemi di insonnia,
perdita di appetito e calo della vista
dopo aver letto ninna nanna
di Chuck Palahniuk?
Se desiderate prendere parte
ad un'azione legale collettiva,
contattate il seguente numero.... "
Ho letto che Palahniuk ha scritto questo libro dopo l'assassinio di suo padre....ragazzi, qua pure la vita reale di Chuckino mio pare uscita dalla sua penna.
Non sono solita documentarmi sulla vita privata degli scrittori, non chiedetemi perché...non lo so nemmeno io, forse sono poco curiosa da quel punto di vista.
Fatto sta che nel 1999 uccidono il papà di Chuck in un modo assurdo (stesso padre che ha alle spalle una storia assurda di suo) e Palahniuk per esorcizzare la scomparsa del padre si mette a scrivere questo puro delirio. Delirio dalla prima all'ultima riga. Un viaggio allucinante e allucinogeno tra case infestate,rituali wicca, ninne nanne, necrofili, persone che stramazzano al suole senza motivo apparente e viaggi on the road.
Tra un trip e l'altro Chuck ci butta dentro, come sempre, temi di riflessione. Dall'iquinamento acustico, al sovarppopolamento della terra, all'allevamento intensivo. Ha quel suo modo di esagerare, di superare il limite che alla fine ti cattura. Non dare per oro colato le sue parole, ma impara a riflettere su ciò che dice.
"Non ha importanza quanto si vuole bene a una persona. Alla fine quello che conta davvero è ottenere ciò che si vuole.
E forse non finiamo all'inferno per quello che facciamo. Forse finiamo all'inferno per quello che non facciamo."
Alla fine ero partita con un'altra idea per recensire Ninna Nanna ma, come spesso mi succede, ho completamente cambiato strada.....c'era un UNIpossum che fingeva di essere morto sulla via ed ho preferito svoltare allo svincolo prima.
"Avete riscontrato problemi di insonnia,
perdita di appetito e calo della vista
dopo aver letto ninna nanna
di Chuck Palahniuk?
Se desiderate prendere parte
ad un'azione legale collettiva,
contattate il seguente numero.... "
Ho letto che Palahniuk ha scritto questo libro dopo l'assassinio di suo padre....ragazzi, qua pure la vita reale di Chuckino mio pare uscita dalla sua penna.
Non sono solita documentarmi sulla vita privata degli scrittori, non chiedetemi perché...non lo so nemmeno io, forse sono poco curiosa da quel punto di vista.
Fatto sta che nel 1999 uccidono il papà di Chuck in un modo assurdo (stesso padre che ha alle spalle una storia assurda di suo) e Palahniuk per esorcizzare la scomparsa del padre si mette a scrivere questo puro delirio. Delirio dalla prima all'ultima riga. Un viaggio allucinante e allucinogeno tra case infestate,rituali wicca, ninne nanne, necrofili, persone che stramazzano al suole senza motivo apparente e viaggi on the road.
Tra un trip e l'altro Chuck ci butta dentro, come sempre, temi di riflessione. Dall'iquinamento acustico, al sovarppopolamento della terra, all'allevamento intensivo. Ha quel suo modo di esagerare, di superare il limite che alla fine ti cattura. Non dare per oro colato le sue parole, ma impara a riflettere su ciò che dice.
"Non ha importanza quanto si vuole bene a una persona. Alla fine quello che conta davvero è ottenere ciò che si vuole.
E forse non finiamo all'inferno per quello che facciamo. Forse finiamo all'inferno per quello che non facciamo."
Alla fine ero partita con un'altra idea per recensire Ninna Nanna ma, come spesso mi succede, ho completamente cambiato strada.....c'era un UNIpossum che fingeva di essere morto sulla via ed ho preferito svoltare allo svincolo prima.
July 30, 2007
The war of who can crank their radio louder than their neighbor. Avoiding the big picture by looking at things too closely. Big Brother filling your head with marketing noise 24-7 so you he doesn't have to worry about what your thoughts cause he created them. Control. Unlikely families. Journalism. These are the tried-and-true themes that Palahniuk has worked before in other forms in other books and they all come together nicely with Chuck's dead pan, sarcastic sense of humor. The premise of the book is a little hokey but Chuck's writing is so good you forget that magic doesn't exist and fall in love with the ridiculousness of the situation and you generally don't stop laughing long enough to think twice. It might seem to drag a little past the middle but hang with the characters till he gets all the loose ends wrapped up. It's pretty well worth it.
October 30, 2017
Δεν θυμάμαι και πολλά από το βιβλίο. Θυμάμαι όμως ότι α) δεν είχα ενθουσιαστεί και β) έκανα πολύ καιρό να το τελειώσω άρα raiting 2,5
December 19, 2017
"Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can hurt like hell."
Another great satirical/horror by Mr Chuck... 'Warning, if you have read this book and suffer bleeding hemorrhoids caused by sudden outbursts of laughter you may be eligible to participate in a class action law suit'.
A childrens poem that has been quietly causing the death of infants, children, and their parents, turns out to be an ancient African culling song. A magical remedy that was originally intended to put the weak and infirm out of their misery. The protagonists of the story, Carl and Helen who inadvertently put their own loved ones to sleep... permanently... go on a mission to find all the books containing the story and destroy them before they can do any more damage. And since they have memorized the culling song themselves, their bigger battle has become, not killing everyone who annoys them along the way.
I think Lullaby has become one of my favorite Palahniuk books. Chuck is an acquired taste, but if you enjoy his work then this will be right up your kitchen.
November 18, 2019
الاخ الأكبر لا يراقبنا إنه يرقص ويغني، انه يخرج الأرانب من قبعته
الأخ الأكبر مشغول بجذب انتباهك في كل لحظة تبقي مستيقظا، يعمل على أن تكون ملهيا على الدوام، يتأكد من انهماكك تماما.... إن هدفه أن يذبل خيالك إلي أن يصير كزائدتك الدودية إنه يسعي إلي شغلك طوال ��لوقت
فإذا ظل اهتمامك منصرفا ومشغولا إلى ما يرغبه الأخ الأكبر فإن هذا اسوء من ان يراقبك... عندما يستغرقك العالم تماما فلا احد سيقلق مما يعتمل في عقلك
مع ضمور الخيال لدي الجميع فلن يمثل أحدنا تهديداً للعالم
في قصة خيالية يكتب تشاك بولانيك قصة عن الحياة والموت وعبثية الحياة وهل يوجد لنا ارادة حرة اما أحد يقرر لنا... وطبعا تكلم عن الاعلام وتأثيره علي الشراء والاستهلاك فده بيتكلم عنه من اول رواية له
هل نملك إرادة حرة ام ان الإعلام وثقافتنا يتحكمان فينا، في رغبتنا في أفعالنا منذ لحظة الميلاد
بأمانة هل اريد حقآ منزلاً كبيراً وسيارة سريعة والف حسناء؟ هل أريد هذه الأشياء حقا.. ام أنني فقط مدرب علي ان أريدها، هل تلك الأشياء أفضل حقا من الأشياء التي املكها بالفعل ام أنني مدرب علي الشعور الدائم بعدم الرضا عن ما لدي
طبعا ما انتقده في الرواية بعض التطاول في الدين وأيضا بعض التطويل لولا كدا كانت تستحق الخمس نجوم كاملة
الأخ الأكبر مشغول بجذب انتباهك في كل لحظة تبقي مستيقظا، يعمل على أن تكون ملهيا على الدوام، يتأكد من انهماكك تماما.... إن هدفه أن يذبل خيالك إلي أن يصير كزائدتك الدودية إنه يسعي إلي شغلك طوال ��لوقت
فإذا ظل اهتمامك منصرفا ومشغولا إلى ما يرغبه الأخ الأكبر فإن هذا اسوء من ان يراقبك... عندما يستغرقك العالم تماما فلا احد سيقلق مما يعتمل في عقلك
مع ضمور الخيال لدي الجميع فلن يمثل أحدنا تهديداً للعالم
في قصة خيالية يكتب تشاك بولانيك قصة عن الحياة والموت وعبثية الحياة وهل يوجد لنا ارادة حرة اما أحد يقرر لنا... وطبعا تكلم عن الاعلام وتأثيره علي الشراء والاستهلاك فده بيتكلم عنه من اول رواية له
هل نملك إرادة حرة ام ان الإعلام وثقافتنا يتحكمان فينا، في رغبتنا في أفعالنا منذ لحظة الميلاد
بأمانة هل اريد حقآ منزلاً كبيراً وسيارة سريعة والف حسناء؟ هل أريد هذه الأشياء حقا.. ام أنني فقط مدرب علي ان أريدها، هل تلك الأشياء أفضل حقا من الأشياء التي املكها بالفعل ام أنني مدرب علي الشعور الدائم بعدم الرضا عن ما لدي
طبعا ما انتقده في الرواية بعض التطاول في الدين وأيضا بعض التطويل لولا كدا كانت تستحق الخمس نجوم كاملة
October 30, 2017
After reading Lullaby, I'm officially a member of the Cult.
Chuck, you are to me what Oprah Winfrey is to Josh Nichols.
Chuck, you are to me what Oprah Winfrey is to Josh Nichols.
December 19, 2017
I’ve never read a Palahniuk books before but I actually really enjoyed this one. I can understand why some people find his writing annoying, but personally I like it’s wit, brutality and shockingness.
Palahniuk is always trying to make a point in his writing… I know this from reading other people’s reviews… but if it’s not right there in front of me, and instead hidden behind cryptic messages, I usually miss the whole point. Which is what I feel happened with this book. I mean I got it thanks to self explanatory lines like “Power, money, food, sex, love. Can we ever get enough, or will getting some make us crave even more?” but I also feel like a lot of it went over my head, so excuse my bland review!
This book is definitely difficult reading at some points, with it’s grotesque descriptions and imagery, but for the most part it’s quite a quick read. I found the story easy enough to follow, although at moments there are whole chapters that appear out of nowhere and make no sense until the end, which threw me off a little! I wasn’t expecting this novel to have a kind of twisty-turny outcome, but it does and I loved that about it! How the story joins up and concludes is very clever. It exceeded my expectations in that aspect.
I really enjoyed getting to know the characters in this story. There are 4 main characters, and it’s been a long time since I’ve read a book where we get to know each one of them really well. Palahniuk has done well to make them all their own individual beings with completely different personalities that are both fun and annoying. Carl is our main, main character and he’s a strange individual to follow around. We learn so much about him, including a shocking secret that makes us look at him in a different light. Helen Hoover Boyle is a fun character to accompany Carl and it’s interesting to see how their relationship grows as each chapter passes.
Overall, I really liked this book. It’s been a while since I’ve read a book that’s been both disturbing and funny at the same time. I have always been hesitant to read Palahniuk because everyone says his stuff is so like Marmite, but just like I am with the controversial spread, I’m on the love it side – at least for now!
Palahniuk is always trying to make a point in his writing… I know this from reading other people’s reviews… but if it’s not right there in front of me, and instead hidden behind cryptic messages, I usually miss the whole point. Which is what I feel happened with this book. I mean I got it thanks to self explanatory lines like “Power, money, food, sex, love. Can we ever get enough, or will getting some make us crave even more?” but I also feel like a lot of it went over my head, so excuse my bland review!
This book is definitely difficult reading at some points, with it’s grotesque descriptions and imagery, but for the most part it’s quite a quick read. I found the story easy enough to follow, although at moments there are whole chapters that appear out of nowhere and make no sense until the end, which threw me off a little! I wasn’t expecting this novel to have a kind of twisty-turny outcome, but it does and I loved that about it! How the story joins up and concludes is very clever. It exceeded my expectations in that aspect.
I really enjoyed getting to know the characters in this story. There are 4 main characters, and it’s been a long time since I’ve read a book where we get to know each one of them really well. Palahniuk has done well to make them all their own individual beings with completely different personalities that are both fun and annoying. Carl is our main, main character and he’s a strange individual to follow around. We learn so much about him, including a shocking secret that makes us look at him in a different light. Helen Hoover Boyle is a fun character to accompany Carl and it’s interesting to see how their relationship grows as each chapter passes.
Overall, I really liked this book. It’s been a while since I’ve read a book that’s been both disturbing and funny at the same time. I have always been hesitant to read Palahniuk because everyone says his stuff is so like Marmite, but just like I am with the controversial spread, I’m on the love it side – at least for now!
June 23, 2022
یک شعر. یک لالایی...یه نغمه...نغمه دروگر...
داستان مردی که شبی برای همسر و دختر یک ساله ش شعری رو میخونه. یه لالایی از یه کتاب...و صبح وقتی از خواب بیدار میشه زن و بچه ش رو مرده پیدا میکنه...تصورشو بکنین که بفهمین یه شعری رو اتفاقی حفظ کردین که درواقع یه نفرین بوده توی قبایل آفریقایی. برای وقتهایی که جمعیت بیشتر از غذا میشد...که مادرها برای بچه هاشون میخوندن تا از زندگی و دردسرهاش راحت بشن...یا برای افراد پیر قبیله و مریض ها برای خلاصی از درد زندگی...تصور کنین یه قدرت اینچنینی داشتین! اینکه بتونین توی ذهنتون فقط با مرور یه قطعه شعر، هر کسی که ازش خوشتون نمیاد رو از بین ببرین. هرکسی...یکی که از ریختش خوشتون نمیاد...یکی که توی راه بهتون تنه زده...همسایه طبقه بالایی با صدای خیلی بلند تلویزیونش...یا یکی که توی گرمای خفه کننده میخواست خودشو به زور توی آسانسور کاملا پر بچپونه...فقط با یه مرور شعر، یه لالایی، دیگه وجود نداشته باشه. خیلی ساده: بمیره...
کتاب عجیب و غریبی بود. اولین کتابه که از چاک پالانیک خوندم. از اون کتابایی که هی فکر میکنی با خودت چرا این اصلا سر و ته نداره...هی به خودت میگی عجب کتاب مزخرفیه! چه اتلاف وقت گنده ای...و درست دو صفحه بعد کرک و پرت میریزه که واو! عجب شاهکاری! کل کتاب برام پر از احساسات ضد و نقیض گذشت...ولی در کل لذت بردم از داستان وحشتناکش و جزئیات سرسام آورش و موضوعِ به شکل ترسناکی جذابش...و پایان بندی مناسبش...ترجمه خوبش هم مزید بر علت...از اون کتاباییه که تا مدتها توی ذهن باقی می مونه و اثر مسمومش به این زودیا از بین نمیره...واقعا نمیدونم چطوری حس و حالمو از خوندن این کتاب بگم...فقط میشه گفت :عجب کتابی بود!
همین.
پ ن: منو بسی یاد انیمه دفترچه مرگ مینداخت :)
داستان مردی که شبی برای همسر و دختر یک ساله ش شعری رو میخونه. یه لالایی از یه کتاب...و صبح وقتی از خواب بیدار میشه زن و بچه ش رو مرده پیدا میکنه...تصورشو بکنین که بفهمین یه شعری رو اتفاقی حفظ کردین که درواقع یه نفرین بوده توی قبایل آفریقایی. برای وقتهایی که جمعیت بیشتر از غذا میشد...که مادرها برای بچه هاشون میخوندن تا از زندگی و دردسرهاش راحت بشن...یا برای افراد پیر قبیله و مریض ها برای خلاصی از درد زندگی...تصور کنین یه قدرت اینچنینی داشتین! اینکه بتونین توی ذهنتون فقط با مرور یه قطعه شعر، هر کسی که ازش خوشتون نمیاد رو از بین ببرین. هرکسی...یکی که از ریختش خوشتون نمیاد...یکی که توی راه بهتون تنه زده...همسایه طبقه بالایی با صدای خیلی بلند تلویزیونش...یا یکی که توی گرمای خفه کننده میخواست خودشو به زور توی آسانسور کاملا پر بچپونه...فقط با یه مرور شعر، یه لالایی، دیگه وجود نداشته باشه. خیلی ساده: بمیره...
کتاب عجیب و غریبی بود. اولین کتابه که از چاک پالانیک خوندم. از اون کتابایی که هی فکر میکنی با خودت چرا این اصلا سر و ته نداره...هی به خودت میگی عجب کتاب مزخرفیه! چه اتلاف وقت گنده ای...و درست دو صفحه بعد کرک و پرت میریزه که واو! عجب شاهکاری! کل کتاب برام پر از احساسات ضد و نقیض گذشت...ولی در کل لذت بردم از داستان وحشتناکش و جزئیات سرسام آورش و موضوعِ به شکل ترسناکی جذابش...و پایان بندی مناسبش...ترجمه خوبش هم مزید بر علت...از اون کتاباییه که تا مدتها توی ذهن باقی می مونه و اثر مسمومش به این زودیا از بین نمیره...واقعا نمیدونم چطوری حس و حالمو از خوندن این کتاب بگم...فقط میشه گفت :عجب کتابی بود!
همین.
پ ن: منو بسی یاد انیمه دفترچه مرگ مینداخت :)
March 27, 2008
Palahniuk makes another social statement(criticism) with Lullaby, but this time with more humor than he's mustered in any of his other books. It definitely helps to be somewhat cynical about the modern world, if you want to enjoy this book (good rule of thumb w/ any C.P books). But even if you love life, there's much to appreciate in the this book, mainly the fact that it's hysterically funny and the events that occur that are really bizarre.
The story revolves around the main character who stumbles across a culling song (poem that is used to euthanize the suffering) and eventually reveals more magic spells that begin to be abused by people for their own benefit.
Pretty much everything that happens in this story is totally absurd, which is one of the things that's great about it. If you're someone who likes everything neatly wrapped up in a believable package, you won't like this book at all. But if you're willing to have a little fun and enjoy some really humorous moments then you'll appreciate Lullaby.
The story revolves around the main character who stumbles across a culling song (poem that is used to euthanize the suffering) and eventually reveals more magic spells that begin to be abused by people for their own benefit.
Pretty much everything that happens in this story is totally absurd, which is one of the things that's great about it. If you're someone who likes everything neatly wrapped up in a believable package, you won't like this book at all. But if you're willing to have a little fun and enjoy some really humorous moments then you'll appreciate Lullaby.
December 6, 2010
The only real knowledge I had about Chuck Palahnuik was though the film Fight Club. (Which a terrific flick and excellently directed and photographed. It’s gotta be in my top 25-50 of all time.) I had never read one of his books before. Until now. I checked Lullaby out of the library as I was browsing around looking for something new and interesting. The librarian who checked me out remarked that he is one of her favorite authors and she owns all of his books. So I was intrigued. And this book?
It’s good.
Imaginative, bold, and seething with scathing commentary on contemporary American society and its willingness to be governed by consumerist culture, and content in its indifference and ignorance, Lullaby is a richly padded and darkly nihilistic parable about morality and power, with a dash of hopelessness sprinkled in.
It may sound like a downer but Chuck Palahnuik‘s charm lies in his use of language. He has a gifted hand, aided by a thoughtful mind. Reading it, each word seems deliberate. The book isn’t so much nuanced as it is direct. Carl Streator tells it like it is. How he sees it. How he feels about it. Unusual in its tone and unapologetic in its message, Lullaby is narrative that is strangely pleasurable despite the nightmare it weaves.
The novel is also peppered with repeated phrases, slightly altered each time it appears. They begin to take on a sort of sing-song quality in and of themselves. And how appropriate for a story named after a kind of song. “Sticks and stones may break your bones but words _____.” — “These _____-oholics. These _____-ophobics.” — “For whatever reason, I thought of _____.” Another repeated technique is that as Streator describes color–what someone is wearing for instance–he assigns it the color of a fine dining dish. It’s really kind of cool.
Since the film Fight Club was about all I knew about Chuck Palahnuik, I must admit that the themes and overt messages of Lullaby are familiar. Like the narrator in Fight Club, Carl Streator rants on about people. Their irritating manners. Their rude behavior. Their sick minds. But it still feels fresh and relevant. You respect the viewpoint because you can understand it. Streator is a lonely man, a bitter man. He does little more than exist until his life is forever-changed by the power a single poem holds. This story is an adventure.
There’s a high body count. He can’t control himself. But he wants to. All he has to do is think the poem the person that has inflamed his annoyance drops dead. He practices counting exercises to direct his death wishes away from unknowing victims. “Counting 345, counting 346, counting 347…” Hmm, yet another repeated phrase.
The book is a lot of things. Thrilling. Depressing. Satisfying. All at once, and not necessarily in that order. The ending leaves you contemplating the new world order that now exists in the Lullaby world and I found myself thinking, now that would be an interesting television show! This story is filled with a variety of vividly imagined characters, each with their own views on modern life and morality. And they are all chasing the power of magic, hoping to wield it for their own uses.
This was a fascinating read. Even a fun one. The words themselves are lyrical and flitter off of the page in a wonderful melody.
Sticks and stones may break your bones but these words are quite astounding.
It’s good.
Imaginative, bold, and seething with scathing commentary on contemporary American society and its willingness to be governed by consumerist culture, and content in its indifference and ignorance, Lullaby is a richly padded and darkly nihilistic parable about morality and power, with a dash of hopelessness sprinkled in.
It may sound like a downer but Chuck Palahnuik‘s charm lies in his use of language. He has a gifted hand, aided by a thoughtful mind. Reading it, each word seems deliberate. The book isn’t so much nuanced as it is direct. Carl Streator tells it like it is. How he sees it. How he feels about it. Unusual in its tone and unapologetic in its message, Lullaby is narrative that is strangely pleasurable despite the nightmare it weaves.
The novel is also peppered with repeated phrases, slightly altered each time it appears. They begin to take on a sort of sing-song quality in and of themselves. And how appropriate for a story named after a kind of song. “Sticks and stones may break your bones but words _____.” — “These _____-oholics. These _____-ophobics.” — “For whatever reason, I thought of _____.” Another repeated technique is that as Streator describes color–what someone is wearing for instance–he assigns it the color of a fine dining dish. It’s really kind of cool.
Since the film Fight Club was about all I knew about Chuck Palahnuik, I must admit that the themes and overt messages of Lullaby are familiar. Like the narrator in Fight Club, Carl Streator rants on about people. Their irritating manners. Their rude behavior. Their sick minds. But it still feels fresh and relevant. You respect the viewpoint because you can understand it. Streator is a lonely man, a bitter man. He does little more than exist until his life is forever-changed by the power a single poem holds. This story is an adventure.
There’s a high body count. He can’t control himself. But he wants to. All he has to do is think the poem the person that has inflamed his annoyance drops dead. He practices counting exercises to direct his death wishes away from unknowing victims. “Counting 345, counting 346, counting 347…” Hmm, yet another repeated phrase.
The book is a lot of things. Thrilling. Depressing. Satisfying. All at once, and not necessarily in that order. The ending leaves you contemplating the new world order that now exists in the Lullaby world and I found myself thinking, now that would be an interesting television show! This story is filled with a variety of vividly imagined characters, each with their own views on modern life and morality. And they are all chasing the power of magic, hoping to wield it for their own uses.
This was a fascinating read. Even a fun one. The words themselves are lyrical and flitter off of the page in a wonderful melody.
Sticks and stones may break your bones but these words are quite astounding.
December 4, 2008
Palahniuk, the Portlander (Oregon, not Maine) who wrote the cult classic Fight Club, has four other novels. One of them is Lullaby, which might or might not be just as off-the-wall as its more popular brother.
The book opens with a scene from a real estate office. Helen Hoover Boyle and her assistant Mona listen to a police scanner for deaths (and potential sales) and field calls from frightened new homeowners who have bought what Helen calls "distressed" (haunted) houses. Helen sells the same homes over and over, creating a niche market with a steady income.
Chapter two is from the perspective of an unknown character, whose identity isn't revealed until much later in the book. This narrator is hunting miracles: the Flying Virgin, who appeared in New Mexico and wrote "STOP HAVING BABYS" in the sky with a can of Bug-Off brand insect fogger; the Roadkill Jesus Christ/I-84 Messiah, who restores dead animals to their pre-accident conditions; the Judas Cow, at the Stone River Meatpacking plant in Nebraska, who refused to lead a herd of cows into the slaughterhouse, and instead took a seat and spoke at length about giving up meat, taught its audience a Hindi song, and answered questions about the nature of life and death.
The third chapter brings us to Carl Streator, a journalist trained to note details. Assigned to do a series of stories on crib death for the Lifestyles section of his newspaper, he visits the parents and homes of recently deceased babies. On his first visit, he notes, among other things, an open library book on a wicker chest in the nursery. This book, Poems and Rhymes from Around the World, is open to page 27. Carl diligently writes down the eight-line traditional African poem - a culling song, a lullaby, the book says - in his notes. This poem shows up at each of the homes he visits; he's found a pattern.
In his editor's office, he reads the poem aloud. The next day, the editor doesn't show up for work.
Carl has a problem with anger management and soon discovers bodies piling up around him. Mona, the realtor's assistant, is a Wiccan who recognizes Carl's power and the story just gets stranger from there. Carl, Helen, Mona, and Mona's boyfriend Oyster set out on a road trip to track down and destroy every copy of the poem.
Palahnuik's writing style is sometimes choppy and repetitive, which took a little to get used to. This story, which might be considered a magical realism murder mystery, is brilliantly conceived. The plot doesn't just twist, it writhes. For a little while, I had no idea what was going on. I became mildly frustrated. But I was already hooked, so I pressed on and finally things started coming together. The trip was worth it. And I think Palahniuk effectively taps into that irritated, misanthropic side of humanity that would never publicly admit that, "Yeah, once in awhile, I wouldn't mind having a culling song handy..."
The book opens with a scene from a real estate office. Helen Hoover Boyle and her assistant Mona listen to a police scanner for deaths (and potential sales) and field calls from frightened new homeowners who have bought what Helen calls "distressed" (haunted) houses. Helen sells the same homes over and over, creating a niche market with a steady income.
Chapter two is from the perspective of an unknown character, whose identity isn't revealed until much later in the book. This narrator is hunting miracles: the Flying Virgin, who appeared in New Mexico and wrote "STOP HAVING BABYS" in the sky with a can of Bug-Off brand insect fogger; the Roadkill Jesus Christ/I-84 Messiah, who restores dead animals to their pre-accident conditions; the Judas Cow, at the Stone River Meatpacking plant in Nebraska, who refused to lead a herd of cows into the slaughterhouse, and instead took a seat and spoke at length about giving up meat, taught its audience a Hindi song, and answered questions about the nature of life and death.
The third chapter brings us to Carl Streator, a journalist trained to note details. Assigned to do a series of stories on crib death for the Lifestyles section of his newspaper, he visits the parents and homes of recently deceased babies. On his first visit, he notes, among other things, an open library book on a wicker chest in the nursery. This book, Poems and Rhymes from Around the World, is open to page 27. Carl diligently writes down the eight-line traditional African poem - a culling song, a lullaby, the book says - in his notes. This poem shows up at each of the homes he visits; he's found a pattern.
In his editor's office, he reads the poem aloud. The next day, the editor doesn't show up for work.
Carl has a problem with anger management and soon discovers bodies piling up around him. Mona, the realtor's assistant, is a Wiccan who recognizes Carl's power and the story just gets stranger from there. Carl, Helen, Mona, and Mona's boyfriend Oyster set out on a road trip to track down and destroy every copy of the poem.
Palahnuik's writing style is sometimes choppy and repetitive, which took a little to get used to. This story, which might be considered a magical realism murder mystery, is brilliantly conceived. The plot doesn't just twist, it writhes. For a little while, I had no idea what was going on. I became mildly frustrated. But I was already hooked, so I pressed on and finally things started coming together. The trip was worth it. And I think Palahniuk effectively taps into that irritated, misanthropic side of humanity that would never publicly admit that, "Yeah, once in awhile, I wouldn't mind having a culling song handy..."
November 17, 2015
ربما كانت هذه الرواية أشد ما قرأت من نقد للمجتمع الامريكي، تشاك بولانيك يفتح النار على الجميع، الهيبيين ورجال الأعمال والمستوطنين القدامى والمحافظين على البيئة والمعترضين على المحافظين على البيئة، كلهم كلهم.
كتاب تعاويذ غريب، وتعويذة سحرية تحقق أمنيات الأجزاء حالكة السواد من نفوس الأبطال، تحولهم التعويذة إلى أنصاف آلهة، ولا تنتهي الرواية كروايتي بولانيك نادي القتال والناجي الأخير، بل هذه المرة تأتي أغنية المهد بنهاية نصف مفتوحة، تتيح لنا - وللكاتب - أن نسرح جميعًا بخيالنا في حوادث وشخصيات أخرى لها علاقة بالرواية.
بغلاف لا يمت بصلة للرواية، وترجمة ممتازة من هشام فهمي، هذه أجمل روايات بولانيك بالعربية حتى الآن،
كتاب تعاويذ غريب، وتعويذة سحرية تحقق أمنيات الأجزاء حالكة السواد من نفوس الأبطال، تحولهم التعويذة إلى أنصاف آلهة، ولا تنتهي الرواية كروايتي بولانيك نادي القتال والناجي الأخير، بل هذه المرة تأتي أغنية المهد بنهاية نصف مفتوحة، تتيح لنا - وللكاتب - أن نسرح جميعًا بخيالنا في حوادث وشخصيات أخرى لها علاقة بالرواية.
بغلاف لا يمت بصلة للرواية، وترجمة ممتازة من هشام فهمي، هذه أجمل روايات بولانيك بالعربية حتى الآن،
November 25, 2016
Palahniuk's a total trip, man.
The premise of this book caught my attention: People are being killed using an ancient 'culling song', a tribal spell sang to the old or infirmed to put them to sleep... permanently. Neat idea! I was hooked.
Other than that, I didn't know what to expect. What I got was a rollercoaster of a book that was one of the most inventive and original novels I'd read in a while. The culling song is just one aspect in this twister of a tale. Throw in a cast of questionable/oddball characters, some chilling backstories, witchcraft and what appears to be an approaching end of days, and you've got something you probably haven't seen before.
Like most of Palahniuk's work, Lullaby is violent, gross, frightening, but also surprisingly heartfelt and funny too. We follow the first person perspective of a journalist named Carl Streator as he investigates accidental deaths (or are they?) caused by the culling song, an investigation that eventually leads him on a road trip from hell (kinda). From there the whole thing only gets stranger/cooler. I don't really want to give much away because I went into this book blind and found not knowing anything made it that more enjoyable.
I can see this book not being everyone's cup of tea. There were a few times when the author's writing style got on my nerves, particularly with repetition. What thrilled me more than anything though was the originality of it. Personally, I have grown incredibly tired of the same old stories being rehashed by countless writers out there. It's like an echo chamber of mediocrity. For better or worse, Palahnuik is doing his own thing and coming up with tales that are as fresh as they are inventive. For me, I can't get enough of it.
The premise of this book caught my attention: People are being killed using an ancient 'culling song', a tribal spell sang to the old or infirmed to put them to sleep... permanently. Neat idea! I was hooked.
Other than that, I didn't know what to expect. What I got was a rollercoaster of a book that was one of the most inventive and original novels I'd read in a while. The culling song is just one aspect in this twister of a tale. Throw in a cast of questionable/oddball characters, some chilling backstories, witchcraft and what appears to be an approaching end of days, and you've got something you probably haven't seen before.
Like most of Palahniuk's work, Lullaby is violent, gross, frightening, but also surprisingly heartfelt and funny too. We follow the first person perspective of a journalist named Carl Streator as he investigates accidental deaths (or are they?) caused by the culling song, an investigation that eventually leads him on a road trip from hell (kinda). From there the whole thing only gets stranger/cooler. I don't really want to give much away because I went into this book blind and found not knowing anything made it that more enjoyable.
I can see this book not being everyone's cup of tea. There were a few times when the author's writing style got on my nerves, particularly with repetition. What thrilled me more than anything though was the originality of it. Personally, I have grown incredibly tired of the same old stories being rehashed by countless writers out there. It's like an echo chamber of mediocrity. For better or worse, Palahnuik is doing his own thing and coming up with tales that are as fresh as they are inventive. For me, I can't get enough of it.
April 10, 2016
Lullaby was my first book to read by Chuck Palahniuk. I was so very impressed with his writing style and his well-crafted story.
Assigned to investigate Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, a reporter uncovers an ancient culling spell. When he learns the power of the spell, and the damage it can do, he sets out with some other very interesting characters, to remove this poem/spell from every library and bookstore in the country.
In my opinion, the power of Palahniuk's style is in his use of repeated phrases. This book was about the power of words and the power of humans to change the world (good and bad). With words as a central theme in the book, Palahniuk constructs many rhymes and phrases that are mentioned often through the book:
"Sticks and stones can break your bones, but words will kill you...",
"These noisaholics, these quietophobics..."
They are very well-placed, and really add to the overall meaning of the story. The writing was very raw, enough to make me cringe at times, but I still enjoyed the overall story.
Assigned to investigate Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, a reporter uncovers an ancient culling spell. When he learns the power of the spell, and the damage it can do, he sets out with some other very interesting characters, to remove this poem/spell from every library and bookstore in the country.
In my opinion, the power of Palahniuk's style is in his use of repeated phrases. This book was about the power of words and the power of humans to change the world (good and bad). With words as a central theme in the book, Palahniuk constructs many rhymes and phrases that are mentioned often through the book:
"Sticks and stones can break your bones, but words will kill you...",
"These noisaholics, these quietophobics..."
They are very well-placed, and really add to the overall meaning of the story. The writing was very raw, enough to make me cringe at times, but I still enjoyed the overall story.
August 17, 2008
Aside from not knowing how to pronounce this author's last name, reading this book was quick and easy (I read it in three days worth of bus rides to school and back). But just because it's an easy read doesn't mean it's not thought provoking.
Palahniuk wrote Fight Club which was made into a movie starring Brad Pitt and Edward Norton. (If you haven't seen the movie, go see it - it combines the uncertainty of a Sixth Sense or the confusion of a Memento with the light hearted social critique/commentary of Trainspotting or The Big Lebowski.) The movies I choose as metaphors to describe Fight Club probably say something interesting about me, but I'd rather not psychoanalyze myself right now.
Anyway, Lullaby is about what it sounds like, a lullaby, but it's also about death, guilt, and the corruptive force of power as it affects a reporter, a real estate agent and a couple of vegan Wiccans. It begins with an unexpected twist, and shortly follows that up with an explanation of what the lullaby is all about. At this point, after only about 20 pages in, you begin to wonder what Palahniuk was thinking when he wrote the book since he seems to have thrown all the good stuff into the beginning. But it continues to mystify, and then reveal those mystifications at odd moment throughout the novel, with the final twist being held off until the last few pages.
If you're looking for a quick, easy summer read and something a little edgier than a romance, feel good story, or chick lit, this is a quick and dirty book I would recommend reading, particularly if you liked Fight Club or you're looking for something out of the ordinary.
My tolerance for "ickiness" seems to be much higher than some of my book club members because the overwhelming response to this book was that there were some really despicable and graphically descriptive parts (despicable characters and a lot more description of dead/damaged bodies than some people cared for). I was the only one who found the main character, Streacher, interesting. Although I couldn't condone the character's behaviour, I could certainly understand it, and I think Palahniuk did a pretty good job getting into the mind of an uptight middle-aged man with an excessively large amount of emotional baggage. So a caveat to my sense of the book would be that if you don't like to hear icky descriptions of the body, don't read this book... though if you've seen Fight Club, you've already seen that kind of icky when Robert gets shot, or when Norton's character pulls out his tooth.
Palahniuk wrote Fight Club which was made into a movie starring Brad Pitt and Edward Norton. (If you haven't seen the movie, go see it - it combines the uncertainty of a Sixth Sense or the confusion of a Memento with the light hearted social critique/commentary of Trainspotting or The Big Lebowski.) The movies I choose as metaphors to describe Fight Club probably say something interesting about me, but I'd rather not psychoanalyze myself right now.
Anyway, Lullaby is about what it sounds like, a lullaby, but it's also about death, guilt, and the corruptive force of power as it affects a reporter, a real estate agent and a couple of vegan Wiccans. It begins with an unexpected twist, and shortly follows that up with an explanation of what the lullaby is all about. At this point, after only about 20 pages in, you begin to wonder what Palahniuk was thinking when he wrote the book since he seems to have thrown all the good stuff into the beginning. But it continues to mystify, and then reveal those mystifications at odd moment throughout the novel, with the final twist being held off until the last few pages.
If you're looking for a quick, easy summer read and something a little edgier than a romance, feel good story, or chick lit, this is a quick and dirty book I would recommend reading, particularly if you liked Fight Club or you're looking for something out of the ordinary.
My tolerance for "ickiness" seems to be much higher than some of my book club members because the overwhelming response to this book was that there were some really despicable and graphically descriptive parts (despicable characters and a lot more description of dead/damaged bodies than some people cared for). I was the only one who found the main character, Streacher, interesting. Although I couldn't condone the character's behaviour, I could certainly understand it, and I think Palahniuk did a pretty good job getting into the mind of an uptight middle-aged man with an excessively large amount of emotional baggage. So a caveat to my sense of the book would be that if you don't like to hear icky descriptions of the body, don't read this book... though if you've seen Fight Club, you've already seen that kind of icky when Robert gets shot, or when Norton's character pulls out his tooth.
April 3, 2014
While I enjoy Palahniuk's writing style and I thought the idea was quite intriguing, it just didn't do much for me. There was a lot of conjecturing by the main character about the concept of 'noise pollution' and the implications that a curse like the one in the book would have in real life, which I found utterly fascinating. But I had very little emotional investment in any of the characters or the events, which made the book seem boring and overly drawn out.
February 17, 2009
My interest in Palahniuk was selfish: since suffering the loss of a loved one, experiencing a mental breakdown at PDX airport and, two days later, being terminated from my hellish job and thrown blindly into unemployment with no health insurance, no savings and a laundry list of neurological pills that needed popping (prescribing, and purchasing, too...) I was desperate for a distraction.
This book is aaaaallllllll about the distraction, the noise, and the general clusterfuck that spins on around us, preventing us from thinking. It's characterized as the good and the bad; honestly, how much do you really want to focus on your life when your life seems so hopeless and backwards?
"Lullaby" centers around a reporter's discovery and subsequent utilization of a "culling song," or a poem recited to individuals to put them to sleep, put them out of their misery...basically you direct the words to them, and they die. Someone has placed the poem in a book of verses from around the world, and parents are reading it to their babies, and a mysterious surge in SIDS deaths has compelled the reporter to find the connection.
The song is the connection: and, now that he knows, he holds the power of life and death over the cacophonous world around him.
Call it how you see it: in some ways this book is about a man's moral struggle with the power he finds. In some ways, a road trip, finding copies of the book with cohorts who all want something else from the grimoire from which the poem originated. In others, it's about the choices set before them when the grail (of sorts) is found. Save the world by healing and teaching and making positive changes? Rule the world by killing off your enemies and empowering your allies? Turn everything into ashes and dust, and let the world begin again? Or...
I can't recommend it highly enough. On a personal note, I'm racked with the tearful relief that there is someone in this world sicker than I am. I sincerely enjoyed this book. I was engrossed, I was impressed, I'll likely read it again.
This book is aaaaallllllll about the distraction, the noise, and the general clusterfuck that spins on around us, preventing us from thinking. It's characterized as the good and the bad; honestly, how much do you really want to focus on your life when your life seems so hopeless and backwards?
"Lullaby" centers around a reporter's discovery and subsequent utilization of a "culling song," or a poem recited to individuals to put them to sleep, put them out of their misery...basically you direct the words to them, and they die. Someone has placed the poem in a book of verses from around the world, and parents are reading it to their babies, and a mysterious surge in SIDS deaths has compelled the reporter to find the connection.
The song is the connection: and, now that he knows, he holds the power of life and death over the cacophonous world around him.
Call it how you see it: in some ways this book is about a man's moral struggle with the power he finds. In some ways, a road trip, finding copies of the book with cohorts who all want something else from the grimoire from which the poem originated. In others, it's about the choices set before them when the grail (of sorts) is found. Save the world by healing and teaching and making positive changes? Rule the world by killing off your enemies and empowering your allies? Turn everything into ashes and dust, and let the world begin again? Or...
I can't recommend it highly enough. On a personal note, I'm racked with the tearful relief that there is someone in this world sicker than I am. I sincerely enjoyed this book. I was engrossed, I was impressed, I'll likely read it again.
September 18, 2008
The only novel by the acclaimed author of Fight Club that I've read, this book is more or less an essay concerning the contaminating effects caused by the constant "noise" to which Americans have grown accustomed in their lives. Be it mass media, advertisements everywhere one turns, or talking heads always telling one what to do and when to do it, this noise is everywhere, and utterly inescapable, the author argues. While I generally agree with the author's displeasure over constant sensory overload, the overt bombardment of social commentary in this book is so over-the-top and unending that it is akin to the "noise" which the author proclaims to so disdain.
The author's caterwauling is intermittently suspended to give beatification to the libertine nature of the characters' sexuality. In addition, the novel’s main plot device is an epidemic of SIDS sweeping the nation, a distasteful and gratuitous illustration into the morbidly macabre mind of the author.
In summary, the author's egotistical perception of himself as a social doyen (which I've been told is a given in any Palahniuk novel) merely turns me off from his argument, causing a desire in me to stand up and scream, "ENOUGH!" Yes, silence is one of the rarest and most valuable gifts of nature. And although people are, indeed, regularly exposed to an unavoidable amount of noise throughout their day, it is ultimately up to each person whether or not he decides to get up and turn off the TV.
The author's caterwauling is intermittently suspended to give beatification to the libertine nature of the characters' sexuality. In addition, the novel’s main plot device is an epidemic of SIDS sweeping the nation, a distasteful and gratuitous illustration into the morbidly macabre mind of the author.
In summary, the author's egotistical perception of himself as a social doyen (which I've been told is a given in any Palahniuk novel) merely turns me off from his argument, causing a desire in me to stand up and scream, "ENOUGH!" Yes, silence is one of the rarest and most valuable gifts of nature. And although people are, indeed, regularly exposed to an unavoidable amount of noise throughout their day, it is ultimately up to each person whether or not he decides to get up and turn off the TV.
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