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Haunted
by Chuck Palahniuk


5.5

based on 17 reviews
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based on 44 votes
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Stranger Than Fiction

The latest novel from the author of Fight Club sees a group of writers locking themselves inside an abandoned theater where they deprive themselves of various necessities in order to write better poetry and short stories (which are included within the novel) when they aren't busy resorting to mayhem or cannibalism.

Doubleday, 416 pages
05/03/2005
$24.95

ISBN: 0385509480

Fiction
General Literature & Fiction
Mystery & Thrillers
Short Stories

All reviews are classified as one of five grades: Outstanding (4 points), Favorable (3), Mixed (2), Unfavorable (1) and Terrible (0). To calculate the Metascore, we divide total points achieved by the total points possible (i.e., 4 x the number of reviews), with the resulting percentage (multiplied by 100) being the Metascore. Learn more...

The Guardian Christopher Priest

The most original work of fiction this year.

The Onion A.V. Club Tasha Robinson

Palahniuk does have a point to make about the self-abasement of modern celebrity, and the current price and nature of fame. But getting to it involves slogging through a mountain of fanatically detailed descriptions of self-mutilation, suicide, murder, gruesome sex, even more gruesome masturbation, corpse desecration and decay, child molestation, cannibalism, and pyrrhic self-annihilation, all piled up to such extremes that it seems like Palahniuk is just double-daring himself to top each new vile degradation with something worse.

Booklist John Green

This novel will please Palahniuk's hardcore fans and few others. [1 Mar 2005, p.1102]

Kirkus Reviews

While a number of the stories here are ingenious, in a devilish sort of way, the constant barrage of wicked sadism soon palls. [1 Feb 2005, p.143]

Library Journal Ken St. Andre

The short stories would work if taken singly and at intervals, but strung together they become a catalog of atrocities. [1 May 2005, p.75]

Publishers Weekly

Palahniuk tells his story with such blithe disregard for these characters that it's hard not to wish he had dispensed with the novel altogether and published, instead, the 23 short stories that pop up throughout the book. [21 Feb 2005, p.154]

Entertainment Weekly Whitney Pastorek

The only thing saving Haunted from disaster is Palahniuk's prose, which is, as always, gorgeous.

Flak Mark Hayes

It could be suggested that this novel is a gruesome satire of reality-shows like "Survivor" or "Big Brother," but "Haunted" comes off like a serial killer's version of A Chorus Line: gobs of razzamatazz but little humanity.

San Francisco Chronicle Buzz Poole

Even the most ardent of his fans may have trouble mucking through this world of ingrates.

The Globe And Mail [Toronto] Jason Anderson

Haunted is itself haunted by the sense that there's little here Palahniuk hasn't done already, and sharper, faster and funnier, at that. [14 May 2005, p.D12]

The New York Times Janet Maslin

Mr. Palahniuk's underlying thoughts are startlingly simple-minded.

The New York Times Book Review Tom Shone

''Haunted'' remains stubbornly unscary. It burps up its shock moments with so little ceremony that the Gothic virtue of stealthily sidewinding suspense -- the art of allowing a story to steal up on you before you even knew it was there -- is left whistling in the wind.

Boston Globe Adam Mansbach

The lack of any attempt to grant these narrators voices of their own is the reader's first clue that Palahniuk's investment in ''Haunted" may be less than total.

Chicago Sun-Times Lloyd Sachs

Haunted is a book that's a little too in love with its attitude, its snarky language, its concept, its willingness to establish new standards of grossness.

Washington Post Elizabeth Hand

Even the cannibalism is kind of boring.

Village Voice Brandon Stosuy

Many of these [stories] are humorous, but rarely more than that.

TLS: The Times Literary Supplement Tim Pashley

Harder and harder it is to keep turning the pages.

The average user rating for this book is 5.5 (out of 10) based on 44 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

David A gave it an8:
People either get it, or they don't. A very ingenius way of putting together some short stories. These stories are going to stick with you for a very long time. It's worth it just for the stories "Guts" --for it's hardcore in your face style; and "Punch Drunk" -- one of the funniest stories you will ever read.

Melina D gave it a9:
I thought it was a wonderful social commentary on how people are distracted in everyday life from doing the things they want to because of some imaginary evil force working against them when in reality man is the source of the evil forces. I loved the individual stories. They may be vile and a little disturbing but each of the characters walked into that scenario to expel the demons they have housed for so long.

cody h gave it a10:
best fiction novel to date

Michael J gave it a0:
A kid in a middle school Language Arts class could write something better than this.

J D gave it a10:
I assume Palahniuk wrote all of these stories and then strung them together. Some of the characters are outrageous but that was the point. Charicatures is more like it. These people were disgusting, self-indulgent, vile individuals, but they were presented invertedly. Completely in the nude. If you can't see beyond the horror of the creative process then you'll never truly express yourself. This is the novelist's novel.

Alyxx B gave it a6:
I found it to be a bit monotonous - in the sense of the single tone of degredation repeated over, and over, and over. By the same token, the individual stories, taken individually were, by and large, brilliant. I think the point of "I am being trapped by my own seeking of fame" is a bit too blatant. Some of the characters were in Chuck's best style, others fell flat.

Natalie P gave it a10:
One of the most intimate and tortured voices in literature. Beautifully heart breaking.

Haunted by Chuck Palahniuk

Haunted
by Chuck Palahniuk