Invisible Monsters Remix

Invisible Monsters Remix

  • by Chuck Palahniuk
  • Narrated by Chuck Palahniuk, Anna Fields, Paul Michael Garcia
  • 7 hrs and 12 mins
  • Unabridged Audiobook
4.22 (169
Ratings.
)

Publisher's Summary

An expanded, radically refashioned “director’s cut” of a favorite Palahniuk novel...
Injected with new material, Invisible Monsters Remix fulfills Chuck Palahniuk’s original vision for his 1999 novel, moving a daring satire on beauty and the fashion industry even further into a wildly unique listening experience. Palahniuk’s fashion-model protagonist has it all - boyfriend, career, loyal best friend - until an accident destroys her face, her ability to speak, and her self-esteem. Enter Brandy Alexander, queen supreme, one operation away from becoming a bonafide woman.
Laced in are new chapters of memoir and further scenes with the book’s characters. Listeners will jump between chapters and have a second listen to understand the dissolve between fiction and fact, taking them on a ride they’ll never forget.
About the author: Chuck Palahniuk’s best-selling novels include Tell-All, Damned, Pygmy, Snuff, Rant, Haunted, Lullaby, Fight Club, Diary, Survivor, Invisible Monsters, and Choke. He is also the author of a nonfiction profile, Fugitives and Refugees: A Walk in Portland, Oregon, published as part of the Crown Journeys series, and the nonfiction collection Stranger than Fiction. He lives in the Pacific Northwest.

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What the Critics Say

“Palahniuk’s stories don’t unfold. They hurtle headlong, changing lanes in threes and banging off the guard rails of modern fiction.” (San Francisco Chronicle)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful

Read the book or get the original audio version

This is the only time I have ever rated the Overall lower than both the performance and the story because although the performance (especially Anna Fields) is quite good and the story is bizarrely entertaining and somewhat thought-provoking, this is a book that was totally meant to be read. From what I have seen on the Internet, it is not even meant to be read in electronic form (much less heard), but truly read in BOOK form - doesn't really work with Kindle either.

I chose this book based on a recommendation from a friend and did not check out what the differences might be between the Remix and the original and just assumed that the Remix with additional inserts by the author would be better. And, it may be better in book form but it is not great in audio form because this book moves not only back and forth through time, but back and forth through chapters. (Chapter 33 might follow Chapter 2, etc.) There are other "Easter Eggs" hidden in the printed version like a chapter that must be read in a mirror which you simply cannot experience through audio. The story is not presented linearly but you kind of have to piece it together like a jigsaw puzzle. It is a little frustrating in the beginning, but as you get the "border pieces", you start to get the hang of it and it is a very interesting way to get the whole picture. However, because the clues to the heart of the plot/characters come sprinkled through, it would be a lot nicer to have the print form of this to go back and double check on parts you have already read.

Apparently the Remix is Chuck Palahniuk original vision of a book that would not only challenge your thoughts on beauty, family, well-being, but actually challenge your reading ability, dexterity, and sleuthing skills. That might work with a book you hold in your hands, but it is kind of disjointed and unsatisfying in this audio version.
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- Tango

We must never, ever be boring.

“All God does is watch us and kill us when we get boring. We must never, ever be boring.”
― Chuck Palahniuk, Invisible Monsters

I admire what Palahniuk was trying to do here structurally. Dislocating the reader by organizing the chapters so they don't give you an exact idea, a hint, when the book will end is novel (it did kinda remind me, in some ways of those cheap "choose your own adventure" books I used to buy from Scholastic books when I was a kid).* Having the words in some chapters written backwards made my wife's vanity mirror finally useful to ME. And, I mostly adore Palahniuk's transgressive, PoMo, fiction shtick with his satirical insight into both the beautiful and the damned. There was no ONE big problem with this book and there were certainly moments of genius and moments when I laughed out lout.

BUT...

But when viewed as a whole, with all of the satirical dancing, noise, and absurdity -- it just didn't work or me in the end. As the novel wrapped up, I was bored more than anything. It was like being lost in a carnival funhouse. For a few minutes it might be novel and may even BE fun, but the danger and threat of a sticky, almost wearisome boredom is real. I closed the book and just felt meh. So, that.

* This structural disruption, however, doesn't do much in the audio version.
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- Darwin8u

Book Details

  • Release Date: 06-11-2012
  • Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.
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