Invisible Monsters by Chuck Palahniuk

Posted on by Lashaan Balasingam @ Roars and Echoes

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“The one you love and the one who loves you are never, ever the same person.”

— Chuck Palahniuk, Invisible Monsters

    If I told you that Invisible Monsters was supposed to be Chuck Palahniuk’s first novel, before Fight Club were to ever happen, but was rejected by publishers for being too disturbing, would you believe me? Countless people have found themselves falling head over heals in love with this novel to the point of calling it Palahniuk’s best work of fiction and their own favourite book of all time. While Fight Club became a world-wide classic piece of literature and one of the most critically-acclaimed masterpiece in cinema, Invisible Monsters has all the ingredients necessary to blow your minds away just as effortlessly. The story is told by an unnamed narrator who’s had a freak accident on the highway that left her face horribly disfigured (goodbye jaw). Once a fashion model that caught the eye of every individual that crossed paths with her, now she struggles to be seen and loses sight of her own purpose in life. It’s upon meeting Brandy Alexander, also known as the Queen Supreme, a woman who undergoes more surgeries than you could count on your fingers to become the most beautiful woman alive, that the narrator learns some of the most valuable lessons regarding identity and love. Invisible Monsters is not your ordinary novel. It is one of the most artistic and unorthodox work of fiction that you’ll ever come across in a sea of books.

    Invisible Monsters is a chef d’oeuvre. It’s impossible to exit the stage without feeling completely overwhelmed by the story that was smacked into you. This is without a doubt the most f*ked up story I’ve ever read. Pardon my language, but there’s no better way to describe this book. May you be warned that the plot twists are uncountable and unforeseeable. As soon as you think that the biggest surprise was conveyed, expect to be struck by a shower of thunderous twists that are not only there to mess with your thoughts, but to convey a subtle, and powerful message. Whether it is a desire to showcase the insanity of excess or the consumption of passion, Chuck Palahniuk invites you on a journey that one would never have thought possible. There’s a very strong humor that borders satire throughout the whole story and leaves a lasting impression that survives days after reaching the end. Invisible Monsters can also easily be classified as a transgressive fiction that touches upon a grand array of themes, from love (self and others), identity, attention, beauty and sexuality. With characters that defy conventionality and a narrative structure that transcends what readers are traditionally used to, Invisible Monsters is a true artistic creation of visceral and unshackled creativity.

    Nothing is what it seems. It’s what you’ll find exquisite with this book. It has such an aggressively deceptive writing, that you sometimes feel so immersed that you just can’t help but focus on what is told instead of looking wider, and sometimes even behind, to see the freight train coming. The plot devices used by Chuck Palahniuk are also some of the most original and truly fitting aspects to the style he employs. One of the recurring devices used throughout the book is when the narrator pretends to be in a photo shoot and the text looks like this: “Give me attention. Flash. Give me adoration. Flash.” I truly enjoyed these little bits that occur randomly and unexpectedly. They not only remind of us about the narrator’s past (before the tragic event) but also adds this humouristic touch to the whole narrative. Furthermore, to heighten the brilliance of the writing, repetition is scattered throughout the novel in a cleverly fashion. While it is easy to find yourself annoyed by the style, I found myself pleased and immensely intrigued by the direction and decisions made by the author. I’ve never known Chuck Palahniuk to stick with a shtick, but to rather experiment and explore, and that’s what I got from Invisible Monsters. It is a novel that struck me with originality and with the never-before-seen.

    Another element which I thought was less evident—since Chuck Palahniuk had to settle with a revised edition of this book—is how the story does not possess a classic sequential structure. No, no, no. Invisible Monsters has a continuity intertwined within multiple pasts. As you read, the narrator says “Jump to when…” to put you in a completely different moment in the life of a character. This is something that Chuck Palahniuk wants you to embrace and get used to as life is never about the predictable but always about the unexpected and sudden changes. Quickly you’ll realize that even with such a choppy progression, you’ll still be able to feel a certain temporal continuity. The best part is how parts and segments feel so irrelevant when taken in at face value, but later become hints and clues, only to become irrefutably pertinent. The flashback scenes also gives us a glimpse into the character’s own life and offers us the opportunity to contrast the past with the present. A huge deal of character development is easily observable through this particular style of narration. After all, a protagonist that had everything going for her until a tragic event shifted her life that thrust her onto a downhill slope is a protagonist that is bound to rethink some of the most fundamental elements of her life. That’s where the Queen Supreme serves as an enabler and a model to what is to come.

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    As I hinted earlier, this revised edition that was released after initially being rejected by publishers is not how Chuck Palahniuk intended his story to be. A much more sophisticated edition was later released under the name of Invisible Monsters Remix. Remember when I said the narrator would make you jump from one moment in time to another? Well, Invisible Monsters Remix pushes the idea even further and shuffles these sections of the story and adds: “Turn to page …” This much more cumbersome structure makes sure to remind you that this book is supposed to be read like a fashion magazine with the most random images and advertisements popping out the blue. While I haven’t tried this version of the book yet, I am truly curious to what the reading experience would be like, especially with the number of insane twists that are sprinkled throughout this book. I hear there are even hidden chapters that aren’t part of the sequence and that some parts are even written upside down, as in, you’d need a mirror to read it. Can you imagine reading that edition? I can smell the fun miles away!

    Invisible Monsters remains one of Chuck Palahniuk’s greatest books. It tackles conventions related to beauty and love in a unique and brilliant fashion. It is filled with plot twists enough to rattle you to the core, and even drown you in awe and admiration. If you’re feeling adventurous and curious about where you could find your next alarming, messed up and disturbing story, need look no further. What can I say?

Give me unique.

Flash.

Give me unpredictable.

Flash.

Give me a masterpiece, baby.

Flash.

Jump to Invisible Monsters.

Check out Trang’s review of Invisible Monsters by clicking here!

Are you interested in Invisible Monsters?
You are, you say?
How about you read this book for yourself!
You can purchase your copy @Amazon Canada or @Chapters Indigo now!
Are you interested in the Remix edition? You can purchase your copy @Amazon Canada or @Chapters Indigo
Don’t forget to share your thoughts in the comment section below and follow us so you don’t miss anymore of our reviews!

MY OVERALL RATING: ★★★★★/

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Published by Lashaan Balasingam @ Roars and Echoes

Reader. Reviewer. Researcher. Criminology Ph.D. Candidate. Montreal, Quebec (Canada). Want to know more? Connect with him!

56 thoughts on “Invisible Monsters by Chuck Palahniuk”

  2. Pingback: Invisible monsters – SEO

    1. Hi there! That is very kind of you and I’m really happy to hear that! I took a look at your book and I’m also happy that you managed to publish your novella and that it is now available for pre-order! I hope your book launch will go well and that people will enjoy it! However, I don’t think it would be my cup of tea. I am also not currently looking for any book review requests! Thank you again for offering me such an opportunity though and best of luck with your novella! 🙂

      – Lashaan

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    1. I haven’t read Choke yet, but I definitely plan on going through all of Chuck Palahniuk’s books. I hear he has some really bad ones out there. I think I’ve only gotten through his better books so far. 😛 Glad to hear someone who’s actually interested in the remix version before the revised 1999 edition! Hope you enjoy the experience. 😉

      – Lashaan

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      1. Please let me know of any Chuck books that I should avoid.

        {I am a HUGE Neal Stephenson fan, but I would warn you away from ‘Reamde’…}

        Liked by 1 person

      2. I’ve been meaning to read his book ‘Snow Crash’ for quite some time now! I’ll be cautious with ‘Reamde’ though, sounds like you had a bad experience with that one. Although that makes me even more curious! 😀 As for the bad Chuck books, you’ll find out as soon as my reviews go up whenever I read one! 😉

        – Lashaan

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    1. Awww maaaan, that means a lot to me!!! Thank you so much, Liz. I truly, truly appreciate the kind words! I’m glad to hear your desire to read it. I think its twisted enough to make you fall in love with it! It will all depend on how much you’ll enjoy the writing style though. I do hope you’ll enjoy it as much as I did when you get the chance to check it out! 😀

      – Lashaan

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      1. 🙂 I was wondering about the writing style myself but you managed to sway me with your review… that even though it is quirky, it works… I hope I’ll love it, too 🙂 Hahaha… surely, twisted enough works for me!

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  9. Wow this sounds like a really interesting book. Actually based on your review, if you hadn’t mentioned this book was by Chuck Palahniuk and what else he’s written I would have never guess Invisible Monsters was written by the same person who wrote Fight Club. Not sure why but that kind of shocked me a little.
    Still if people say this is his best work, over Fight Club which seems to be a classic based on what I’ve heard people say about it, it must be truly amazing.
    Great review Lashaan. 😀

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    1. Oh my! 😛 I’m glad to be able to remind you who Chuck Palahniuk is! Fight Club is definitely a classic indeed. I believe the movie adaptation brought even more fame to the book than how well the book had initially performed out there in the market. But when you hear a bunch of people claiming Invisible Monsters to be even more mind-blowing than Fight Club was for them, it does speak for itself, doesn’t it? 😀 Thank you so much for checking out my review, Beth. Means a lot to me. 😉

      – Lashaan

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      1. Well considering I only recently found out Fight Club was a book before it was a film that definitely seems accurate. The film has become such a classic it makes sense that book kind of eclipsed all his others.
        But wow that is amazing praise. I’m guessing that was true for you as well (have you read Fight Club?)
        That’s all right, it was an incredible review! 😀

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  12. Fantastic! So I have Fight Club here but had honestly not heard of this title. Which would you actually recommend tackling first? Because now I am leaning toward this very heavily.

    I found it interesting that this was released later in an edition different than what the author originally intended for audiences. I encountered something similar with A Clockwork Orange in the sense that the release in the US originally omitted the finally chapter. Luckily I snagged an edition in its entirety because that chapter really altered my perception of the entire story and message. Crazy huh?

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    1. Honestly, both Fight Club and Invisible Monsters are at the top to me. It’s way to hard to tell which one I’d recommend over the other. They each tackle different ideas in different ways, and that’s probably what should drive your decision. However, if you have never read anything by Chuck, I’d probably recommend Fight Club first, just because its so iconic and it even has one of the best book-to-movie adaptations of all time. I think the fact that it has this movie to boost my love for it is why it’s so hard for me to put Invisible Monsters over Fight Club as easily as others would! 😛 Then again, I would also recommend going for the book that interest you the most in the moment. I think it’ll help you enjoy it a lot more if you feel like you WANT to read it NOW hahah

      Swweeeaaaaar!! A Clockwork Orange is one of my favourite books of all time!! The edition I read was the one with the cup of milk. I hope it had the chapter you speak of, cause that would be pretty messed up! I also LOVED the movie adaptation directed by Stanely Kubrick. That book is really a piece of golden literature!! Did the missing chapter had something to do with Alex talking with his old friend who had “grown up”?

      – Lashaan

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      1. Yes. I believe it should be 21 chapters total and it explains Alex coming full circle so to speak. Doesn’t leave it all hanging as violently as the film. Although I am a fan of the film. I feel it is very well done. They are also favorites of mine. I am pleased to hear you say that you enjoy them because most eyeball me as a weirdo when I admit my love for them haha 😉

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    1. Thank you soo much!! I’m happy that you AT LEAST saw that beautiful movie!! I’m really curious to know your thoughts on Chuck Palahniuk since he can push things quite far in his books, some might even call him pretentious cause of some of his “less admired” books! But Fight Club and Invisible Monsters are definitely two of his best books for me! Hope you enjoy them as much as I did! 😀

      – Lashaan

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  14. Wow, this is a brilliant review, you just draw me in and made me want to forget my plans to get Invisible Monsters. You punched me in the face with your words! I loved it!!

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    1. Hahahha thank youuu, Donna!! But… no.. no.. no…! Those were not my intentions! 😛 For one, I’d never hit a woman; in whatever form! And two, you should definitely bring back to life your plans of checking out this book by Chuck Palahniuk if it has piqued your curiosity in any way possible!! 😀

      – Lashaan

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  16. I finished the book this weekend and I just have this feeling I’ve read this book before because some passages felt familiar. However, it was such a long time ago, I was still able to enjoy the twists. An absurdist tale with definite black humor. Kind of reminds one of The Lobster “humor,” right?

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      8. I’ve read more disturbing books! Really, especially since this is so farcical and outrageous. I would say a most disturbing book I’ve read is a horror with little humor. I’ve read quite a few so hard for me to name them all.

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      9. I had a feeling that your “disturbing” had a horror touch to it! I know exactly what you mean though. Invisible Monsters “disturbing” was more…the “messed up, unexpected and unconventional” kind. Farcical and outrageous pretty much sums it up well!

        – Lashaan

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