First, there was Fight Club, a sarcastic dark comedy about a man who creates a secret life for himself, through fight clubs and crime networks across the country. David Fincher made it into a sleeper hit back in 1999, starring Edward Norton and Brad Pitt.
Then came Choke, another dark comedy about another secretive man, this one a sex-addicted con-man who fakes choking to death, and then pressures his rescuers for sympathy (and cash). Actor Clark Gregg just made his directorial debut adapted the novel; it was recently picked up by Fox Searchlight at the Sundance Film Festival.
And it is the opinion of this reviewer that the third Palahniuk adaptation should be that of Lullaby, a book that is not nearly as known as the aforementioned pair, but is, in my opinion, just as original.
Reporter Carl Streator, our narrator and anti-hero, is given an assignment by his chief editor: investigate the phenomenon known as S.I.D.S. (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome). "It's the kind of piece you do for awards," the editor says. "The type of story that every parent is too afraid to read and too afraid not to read." But then, Carl discovers a pattern: the night before the baby dies, the parents happen to read it a particular poem, the African culling song on the 27th page of Poems and Rhymes from Around the World. And the trick of the culling song is, it kills whoever may be listening at the time, adult and child alike. As Carl dives deeper and deeper into his journalistic exploration, he begins to unravel the mystery of the culling song. And with the help of haunted-house realtor Helen Hoover Boyle, her secretary Mona, and Mona's conspiratory boyfriend Oyster, he hopes to destroy every copy of the song, and put the curse to rest forever.
For those who have had the privilege of reading some of Palahniuk's other work, you may make the assumption that many of his same signature elements are here: sarcasm, conspiracy, and maybe even the twinge of overexcessive dialogue here and there. Nevertheless, it is the author's talent in balancing the human and supernatural equally that make this novels such a joy to read. Sure, it could never happen... but if it did, this is how it would play out. It is, in a sense, both parable and satire in the same moment; Palahniuk's characters are crafted in such a way, that they humor you and entice you simultaneously. It's a twisted, memorable number.
However, in the same instance, Lullaby is not a perfect piece either. For example, the book begins with a prologue that I found completely unnecessary. It is obviously meant to introduce us to both Helen and Mona, but they are both characters that we will run into later down the road. There is absolutely no insight given in this first bit that the reader couldn't discover from the rest of the novel. Also, aside from the four main book-burners I mentioned earlier (and perhaps one perverted ambulance technician I failed to mentioned), the remainder of the character list is just gravy; none of the supporting characters are sympathetic, nor are they as naturally-written. In the end, we don't give a crap what happens to them, and I for one had a problem with that.
Apart from its flaws, though, Lullaby is a dementedly fun ride. It made me laugh, and cringe, and gag... but never did it make me yawn.
I sure hope that this novel gets its silver screen due one of these days.
***1/2
(3.5 Stars)
Then came Choke, another dark comedy about another secretive man, this one a sex-addicted con-man who fakes choking to death, and then pressures his rescuers for sympathy (and cash). Actor Clark Gregg just made his directorial debut adapted the novel; it was recently picked up by Fox Searchlight at the Sundance Film Festival.
And it is the opinion of this reviewer that the third Palahniuk adaptation should be that of Lullaby, a book that is not nearly as known as the aforementioned pair, but is, in my opinion, just as original.
Reporter Carl Streator, our narrator and anti-hero, is given an assignment by his chief editor: investigate the phenomenon known as S.I.D.S. (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome). "It's the kind of piece you do for awards," the editor says. "The type of story that every parent is too afraid to read and too afraid not to read." But then, Carl discovers a pattern: the night before the baby dies, the parents happen to read it a particular poem, the African culling song on the 27th page of Poems and Rhymes from Around the World. And the trick of the culling song is, it kills whoever may be listening at the time, adult and child alike. As Carl dives deeper and deeper into his journalistic exploration, he begins to unravel the mystery of the culling song. And with the help of haunted-house realtor Helen Hoover Boyle, her secretary Mona, and Mona's conspiratory boyfriend Oyster, he hopes to destroy every copy of the song, and put the curse to rest forever.
For those who have had the privilege of reading some of Palahniuk's other work, you may make the assumption that many of his same signature elements are here: sarcasm, conspiracy, and maybe even the twinge of overexcessive dialogue here and there. Nevertheless, it is the author's talent in balancing the human and supernatural equally that make this novels such a joy to read. Sure, it could never happen... but if it did, this is how it would play out. It is, in a sense, both parable and satire in the same moment; Palahniuk's characters are crafted in such a way, that they humor you and entice you simultaneously. It's a twisted, memorable number.
However, in the same instance, Lullaby is not a perfect piece either. For example, the book begins with a prologue that I found completely unnecessary. It is obviously meant to introduce us to both Helen and Mona, but they are both characters that we will run into later down the road. There is absolutely no insight given in this first bit that the reader couldn't discover from the rest of the novel. Also, aside from the four main book-burners I mentioned earlier (and perhaps one perverted ambulance technician I failed to mentioned), the remainder of the character list is just gravy; none of the supporting characters are sympathetic, nor are they as naturally-written. In the end, we don't give a crap what happens to them, and I for one had a problem with that.
Apart from its flaws, though, Lullaby is a dementedly fun ride. It made me laugh, and cringe, and gag... but never did it make me yawn.
I sure hope that this novel gets its silver screen due one of these days.
***1/2
(3.5 Stars)
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