Read: Sunday, October 16, 2011
“If I can’t be beautiful, I want to be invisible.”
Summary: With an intriguing story and unique writing style, the initially unnamed narrator – a young, former super model – tells her story jumping between before disfigurement and after disfigurement. She uses beauty to gain attention from her family who has placed more importance on her older brother. When the narrator becomes disfigured, it leaves her a ‘monster’ and feeling invisible. She meets Brandy Alexander at a speech therapist office. Brandy Alexander has no interest in the former super model’s past and tries to build up the narrator’s confidence post-accident. Brandy takes the narrator on a journey filled with love, drugs, and revenge. Everyone is seemingly intertwined yet they live an individualistic lifestyle taking care of their own needs.
Invisible Monsters: A Novel
My Thoughts: The first third of the book was confusing and left me with many questions especially since I didn’t know anything about the story beforehand. These questions spurred me to move on, quite quickly, to investigate the story for answers. Although I did cheat halfway through the book, I did a search on the book’s story which completely spoiled the story. The author, Chuck Palahnuk, does reply back through the narrator with details answering some of the questions. Responses were given from approximately the middle of the book right through to the very end. It is one of those books that one can easily lose themselves in and with so many questions to be answered, it can be a very quick read. I think it’s best not to know the details of the story before reading the book which is why my summary is short. It’s a great book to read for some but might be a bit gruesome for the sensitive. It is reader beware since there are some disturbing, uncomfortable, and inappropriate scenes.
