Make Something Up: Stories You Can't Unread

I could not finish this contrived, hopeless and bitter collection of nonsense and would likely have a difficult time enjoying a friendship with someone who had. Read only if you have given up on life, for the ugly pictures painted here will reaffirm your own sense of misery. Not an ounce of wit to be found here. Stay away.

'zombies' was a great short story (has nothing to do with zombies) but most of the rest were just trying way to freakin' hard. some of the ideas were cool but wow, i kept thinking of a high school kid trying to gross out classmates. (middle school?) base material is no longer shocking when you're drowning in it. less can be more, but Palahniuk seems to revel in the sexually grotesque. over and over story after story. um...nah.. i'm good.

...without investing in a novel-length read.
In the days of YouTube, I'm surprised that short fiction anthologies haven't enjoyed a renaissance, as attention-challenged readers discover the pleasure of fictional narratives that are rapidly exposed and concluded. Unfortunately, short stories remain a literary treat under-enjoyed by mass market readers...which is totally their loss.

Readers unfamiliar with Chuck Palhniuk are probably familiar with the most popular adaptation of his writing to film through "Fight Club". So if you're a new Palahniuk reader, prepare yourself. His stories are populated by characters who are consistently offbeat and often veer from the offbeat to the dark and disturbed. His writing is generally short on description, as he prefers the actions of his actors to define the stories, not his interpretation of them.

Like any antholoigy, "Make Something Up" includes pieces that most readers will end up enjoying more (and less) than others. For me, the most and least appealing stories came early in the book. "Zombies" is a account of an unlikely craze involving emergency defibrillators. It's funny, witty and is a superb example of Palahuniuk at his best. At the other end of the scale are "Elanor" and "How Monkey Got Married, Bought a House and Found Happiness in Orlando". "Elanor" gets bogged down in the style of awkward language, and "How Monkey Got Married..." in overly-cute metaphorical approach.

In between are are 21 other very strong examples of short fiction populated with the offbeat characters and slightly icky topic matters that his readers have come to expect. Those familiar with his work won't be disappointed, and those coming to it for the first time are likely to be highly entertained...if they can can past discomfort with the unconventional foibles of the denizens of his stories.

Summer is coming. If you're looking for something to have by your side during those days without rigid schedules, this is a great choice. And if you're overscheduled as a parent or working person, you can fit these stories into manageable chunks for your down time. In either case: well worth the investment!

Make Something Up: Stories You Can't Unread
by Chuck Palahniuk

Finally receiving a degree in communications, Monkey takes her newly written resume to Llewellyn Food Product Marketers, Inc. Now employed she finds herself standing behind a folding table located in grocery and department stores offering food samples for shopping consumers. Blessed with nonstop charm and a pleasant smile, Monkey was an instant success. However when the company is faced with the test of selling a problematic kind of cheese that has the fragrance of feces and burning hair with a touch of salmonella, an unforgettable cast of characters appear. All watch in tense drama as Coyote throws down his gauntlet in an ultimate challenge for promotion.
This and many others make up a collection of short stories full of wit and humor written by none other than Chuck Palahniuk himself. Chuck has a peculiar way of exposing the reader to awkward situations that is guaranteed to stir an inner emotion or two. From an overfed cat that is the center of a inconceivable insurance scam, to a father taking full advantage of a teachable moment for his young son to learn the twisted truth about the facts of life. It's all here. All the out of the ordinary bases are covered in this book of the bizarre.
Labeled as Transgressional Fiction, Palahniuk often creates characters that have been marginalized in one way or another by society, then reacts with self destructive aggressiveness. Embellishing in the fact 'truth is stranger than fiction', Palahniuk has accomplished a strong cult following by infusing personal experience with enjoyable exploits. Due to his early success with the novel Fight Club, Chuck has been allowed free reign and creativity for future projects. Make Something Up: Stories You Can't Unread brings his uncommon style of originality to the page in small portions of controlled insanity.

Chuck Palahniuk is an acquired taste and most people either love him or hate him. I happen to be in the love him category. For anybody who has not read him....the title tells you what you need to know....Make Something UP: Stories you Can't Unread. Consider it both a promise and a warning...

As a fan of his fiction, I was happy to get a book of short stories. Palahniuk is just as effective with short stories as he is with his fiction. These stories hold nothing back...they can be humorous, they can be gritty, they are dark, they can be hard to read and they can be horrifying (sensitive readers - might just want to put the book down) but they are effective. He is a storyteller and that is evident from reading these stories. The human condition is laid out in all it's splendor, from the highs to the lows (more low than high, to be honest) but the stories, and the characters are compelling, as is the author's ability to lend a unique view and give a unique voice to each story.

As with any book of short stories, some will resonate with readers better than others. I could go through the stories for you...but that spoils the fun. Pick up the book and delve into these stories. While there were some that I liked less than others, overall, this was a great read for me. I continue to be amazed by his writing.

Chuck has a way. These are stories that probe the demons and perversions of America's soul in a brilliantly disturbing way. I loved them for their character studies. The plots and twists were what I have come to expect from Palahniuk, but it is what a person loves him for. In short, these stories are like drinking distilled versions of his novels one shot at a time, full strength and unrefined. It’s fun watching a creative genius at work. It definitely makes me want to find time for a public reading of his in the future. It was even more fun listening to the stories with Chuck’s personal intonation of them. If you like Palahniuk then you will enjoy these short stories.

I have loved Chuck Palahniuk since I read "Guts" as an undergraduate. That short story is one that remains with readers ... for life. I love the anecdote of Palahniuk conducting live readings of the piece and watching folks pass-out cold. If you have not read "Guts" ... get to it! Therefore, when I saw this collection, I was stoked.

As with all short-stories collections, there will favorites and there will be "not-so-favorites." For me, I approach a collection such as this with the hope of finding one new breathing-taking piece that speaks to me. (And, then, I'll probably make a PDF of it and share it with my students). So think of reading this collection like searching for gem in the mountain-side ... you'll get an awful lot of dirt, but there might that perfect specimen somewhere in there.

Now, obviously, many love Palahniuk for Fight Club (and for good reason). If your experience with this author is confined to that nuanced, complex piece of literature, do know that you won't find the same cavalcade postmodern delights here. Instead, you will probably find stories that make you truly uncomfortable (and that you will repeatedly consider abandoning). The discomfort here is pretty prevalent; therefore, if you do not enjoy being push outside of your comfort zone, you might find this experience unbearable. (The language and imagery is graphic. Not "Breaking Bad graphic" ... but truly, genuinely graphic).

I teach film and literature for a living (at the college-level). Some of these stories challenged my own tolerance ... one, in particular, I barely finished (and felt no catharsis or resolution at the conclusion ... which is fine ... that hollow feeling shows that Palahniuk is able to conjure those complex emotions).

If you revel in the bleakness of Bret Easton Ellis, this collection might work for you. Dig for that gem!

I had never before read anything from Chuck Palahniuk, so this piqued my curiosity. Am I a new fan? These short stories and novella just werent my reading style, unfortunately. I say however, they all all well crafted, some a bit gentler than others, some humorous, some definitely humorless. If you are a fan, you may have read some of the offerings, but I think you would want to add this to your library. If you like your short story offerings a little on the darker side, you will probably find a few here that appeal.
*I received my copy from Netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review.

"And despite the miraculous, well-documented healing powers of the Comedic Arts my old man dies taking a big bloody s*** in his bed."

This is a pretty standard Palahniuk line from one of the short stories in this tome, of which a lot are OK, one's great and a few are...not up to par with his usual writing, albeit in novel form.

Then, at times, you're jolted by his genius:

"And you know the feeling: You want your best friends and your fiancée to mesh, but my friends grit their teeth and look at me with their eyebrows worried tight together in the middle, and they say, “Dude, did it ever cross your mind that maybe—just maybe—Britney is mentally retarded?” And I tell them to relax. She’s just an alcoholic. I’m pretty certain she’s a heroin junkie, too. That, and she’s a sexual compulsive, but it’s nothing so bad some talk therapy wouldn’t fix her. Look at me: I’m fat; nobody’s perfect. And maybe instead of a wedding reception we could get our two families together in a hotel conference room to surprise her with an intervention, and instead of a honeymoon we could get Britney committed to a ninety-day inpatient recovery program. We’ll work through this. But no way is she retarded. She just needs some rehab."

Then again, at the worst, he feels like a pastiche of himself:

"He owned a cat he’d named Belinda Carlisle and let drink from the black bidets. It was a long-haired sable Burmese, like a bubble of black hair. Ted loved Belinda Carlisle, but he knew enough not to let her get too close."

All in all, this is entertaining, yet not too fulfulling. I'll recommend "Choke" or "Rant" much rather than this.

Surely Chuck Palahniuk writes like no writer of contemporary American fiction. He makes T. C. Boyle look like a sissy. These 22 short stories and one novella are peopled with transvestites, male exotic dancers, lesbians, gays, the deformed, the obese, fast-food employees addicts, suicide assistants, cadavers, prostitutes, employees with dead-end pay nothing drunk virgins, Elephant Men, epileptics, stoned-to-the gills prize show contestants, variegated freaks , the “differently abled,” using his dripping-with sarcasm term—and of course some of these categories overlap. The list seems endless. A few of these characters could be descendants of distant third cousins of some of Flannery O’Connor characters-- but on drugs of course. Even as they wallow sometimes in the hells of their own choosing—but not always—they often maintain a wicked sense of humor. The malapropisms in “Eleanor”-- “reality agent,” “pouter room,” “best case seraglio,” “holly state of acrimony,” and” “baked Nebraska for dessert”—provide comic relief that you will need in spades as you wade through some of these little horror stories. And Palahniuk can nail a character with a sentence or two. The character shows up immediately often in garish bright lighting. How about this description of a character out of “Mister Elegant”? “Her eyes were brown and the thighs of her white pantsuit looked stretched too tight for her to cross her legs at the knee.” We know exactly what this woman looks like; she can best be seen at fast food restaurants.

Some of the stories are better than others. There are one or two that do not make the cut as short stories. I would sooner call them essays. I nominate the short story “Zombies” and the novella “Inclinations” as the two best of the litter. Both are in a word-- brilliant. In “Zombies” high school students fry their brains with cardiac defibrillators. In “Inclinations” teenagers whose parents think they have tendencies of the love that once would not declare its name but that we are now waterlogged with—to mix a metaphor—are sent to a maximum security prison to be rehabilitated. Even though this story that takes place in 1985 is stunning, the author needs a better fact checker since he refers both to Lady Gaga and to text-messaging. Since The Lady was born in 1986, she couldn’t even cry in 1985, let alone sing. And if the folks at the Google household are correct, the first text message was sent in the U. S. in 1992. Mr. Palahniuk has said that all his books are about a lonely person looking “in some way to connect with people.” Certainly these two stories are good examples of that.

Reading these stories, I was reminded that some reviewer said that the kinds of people Bobbie Ann Mason writes about would never read her fiction. That statement is appropriate to the tenth power for these little nihilistic epistles from the lower depths.

Whether or not these stories are your cup of tea—or should I say can of beer?—you have to admit that Palahniuk is one helluva writer.

Chuck Palahniuk has done it again. As in Fight Club, Invisible Monsters, and Choke, he manages to give you nightmares. Some of these stories are so twisted you may be glad they're only a couple pages long. This way you have a little recovery time before diving into the next crazy scenario. They often begin in a realistic enough way, and just when you're getting comfortable he drags you along some horrific turn. For the reader that enjoys this sort of punishment you won't be able to put this book down.

These 23 very dark tales exhibit Palahniuk’s fascination with the macabre. Descriptions of his stories include sensational, twisted, disturbing, perverse and horrific. If this is your cup of tea, you should love this collection.

Like all short story collections, some rise to the top while others sink, but none are boring. If you enjoy bizarre stories involving some of society’s misfits, “Stories You Can’t Unread” is for you. But be careful; as the title says, they truly are stories you can't unread.

The book did kind of leave me conflicted. I really liked some of the stories, but felt like others didn't really capture the kind of writing style that I'm so used to from this author. I feel like he really excels at novel-writing, but when it comes to short stories, it's kind of a hit or miss. I really liked "Zombies", "Knock Knock", "Phoenix" and "Cold Calling", and many others I enjoyed too. Some were just full-on strange, and not in a good literary way. I can tell he worked harder on some than he did on others. But, that didn't bother me as much. What DID was that on the description on the back was promised a short story about Tyler Durden from Fight Club, yet IT WAS NOT IN HERE. It might just be the vine copy, but WHAT ON EARTH I WAS SO EXCITED FOR THAT. I hope the final copy includes that because what a disappointment to not see that included in there! Aside from that monstrosity, I'd say many of the stories were pretty entertaining -weird- but still good, although what was up with a lot of characters named after animals? Little odd. But I still liked it in an overall sense, but feel like people who haven't read any of Chuck Palahniuk's books might really dislike it, unless they know what to expect. I didn't dislike it enough to give it 3 stars, but didn't like it enough to give it 4 stars, so I think the rating should be somewhere between these 2 numbers. Seriously, where was "Excursion" WHERE WAS IT.

I had never read anything by Chuck Palahniuk before, but shall I say that he has a reputation that precedes him. When this was offered through Vine I snatched it because I am a fan of the short story genre and figured this might give me the opportunity to decide how effective this writer is or isn't.
The subtitle of this collection "Stories You Can't Unread" pretty much summarizes the general effect of his fertile imagination and deft talent with language. It is a clear case of once you start reading you won't be able to stop. The writing flows as well as the content. Palahniuk taps into popular culture such as zombies and creates an alternate world that at times can be creepy, absurd, gross, sickly funny, and unforgettable.
In the previously mentioned "Zombies", high school fads move from benign behavior to defibrillator lobotomies. I really liked this one, but I doibt I'll ever think of an archaic medical practice in the same way.
Another topic in a novella titled "Inclination" deals with a gay cure that might be viewed as rehab for LGBT teen community.
As the stories roll out you meet a family that is falling apart, bestiality, a magic tennis ball that maybe is something darker and more sinister, murder. Society is gutted like a rotten fish and body fluids flow freely.
In summarizing this collection I'd have to say that the one thing that impressed me was CP is clearly a writer who seemingly is sort of fearless and not afraid to take chances with unconventional topics and unusual narrative forms.
If you are willing to accept that these stories and the sole novella will probably not leave you and are not easily dismissed, I am recommending this very unusual collection.

The book did kind of leave me conflicted. I really liked some of the stories, but felt like others didn't really capture the kind of writing style that I'm so used to from this author. I feel like he really excels at novel-writing, but when it comes to short stories, it's kind of a hit or miss. I really liked "Zombies", "Knock Knock", "Phoenix" and "Cold Calling", and many others I enjoyed too. Some were just full-on strange, and not in a good literary way. I can tell he worked harder on some than he did on others. But, that didn't bother me as much. What DID was that on the description on the back was promised a short story about Tyler Durden from Fight Club, yet IT WAS NOT IN HERE. It might just be the vine copy, but WHAT ON EARTH I WAS SO EXCITED FOR THAT. I hope the final copy includes that because what a disappointment to not see that included in there! Aside from that monstrosity, I'd say many of the stories were pretty entertaining -weird- but still good, although what was up with a lot of characters named after animals? Little odd. But I still liked it in an overall sense, but feel like people who haven't read any of Chuck Palahniuk's books might really dislike it, unless they know what to expect. I didn't dislike it enough to give it 3 stars, but didn't like it enough to give it 4 stars, so I think the rating should be somewhere between these 2 numbers. Seriously, where was "Excursion" WHERE WAS IT.

I had never read anything by Chuck Palahniuk before, but shall I say that he has a reputation that precedes him. When this was offered through Vine I snatched it because I am a fan of the short story genre and figured this might give me the opportunity to decide how effective this writer is or isn't.
The subtitle of this collection "Stories You Can't Unread" pretty much summarizes the general effect of his fertile imagination and deft talent with language. It is a clear case of once you start reading you won't be able to stop. The writing flows as well as the content. Palahniuk taps into popular culture such as zombies and creates an alternate world that at times can be creepy, absurd, gross, sickly funny, and unforgettable.
In the previously mentioned "Zombies", high school fads move from benign behavior to defibrillator lobotomies. I really liked this one, but I doibt I'll ever think of an archaic medical practice in the same way.
Another topic in a novella titled "Inclination" deals with a gay cure that might be viewed as rehab for LGBT teen community.
As the stories roll out you meet a family that is falling apart, bestiality, a magic tennis ball that maybe is something darker and more sinister, murder. Society is gutted like a rotten fish and body fluids flow freely.
In summarizing this collection I'd have to say that the one thing that impressed me was CP is clearly a writer who seemingly is sort of fearless and not afraid to take chances with unconventional topics and unusual narrative forms.
If you are willing to accept that these stories and the sole novella will probably not leave you and are not easily dismissed, I am recommending this very unusual collection.

The truth is that the subtitle says undeniably the true, at the end of some of these stories I would have gone back in time and deleted what I just read. Some of these tales are obscene, not in the sexual sense of the term, they are scary, they are disgusting, and most of all I wondered how could he just thought about a story like that. The answer is not there, or at least I do not have it, but in short, even when the other book of stories was out I had promised myself to read only his novels, but I forgot, I really have to remember it for the next time.

La veritá é che il sottotitolo dice innegabilmente il vero, alla fine di alcune di queste storie avrei fatto volentieri rewind e cancellato quanto letto fino a quel momento. Alcuni questi racconti sono osceni, nel senso non sessuale del termine, mettono paura, fanno senso e soprattutto mi sono chiesta piú colte come potesse essergli potuto venire in mente. La risposta non c'é o quanto meno non ce l'ho io, ma insomma, anche in occasione degli altri racconti mi ero ripromessa di leggere solo i romanzi, devo assolutamente ricordarmelo per la prossima volta.

Like many works by the talented author (and fellow Portlander) Chuck Palahnuik, readers will either love it or hate it. His works are interesting, in the same style that Vonnegut or Robbins works are interesting - but they are entertaining and not necessarily enjoyable in the traditional sense.

The four star rating reflects the mix of stories in this collection - some are more thought provoking, some unique, but others a little shallow or flat. All are worth reading. But like most of his works, fans will love it, others might not... and some might become new fans. His style and voice are different than many of the authors published today.

I've never been disappointed by Chuck Palahniuk, and this collection is no exception. Some old (and familiar), others new, Make Something Up is a collection of oddball and interesting short stories -- endlessly entertaining in very adult ways, idiosyncratic, and memorable (although not in the ways you might expect).

"Build it. Burn it. Build it. Burn it. Worship and Destroy. The festival was civilization on Fast-Forward."
- Torcher

While I was familiar with Chuck Palahniuk, from the movie 'Fight Club', I had never read any of his books. A friend of mine, who is a longtime fan, always suggested that if I was to read one of his books I should approach it with caution. I decided to start this review by sharing the advise he gave me years ago.

'Make something up' is a compilation of 22 stories written throughout a decade (I understand some of these have been published before) As such, some of these tales suffer when compared to one another, there are some very good ones and some others feel like filler material. The opening story, 'Knock, knock', does a great job preparing the readers on what to expect from the rest of the book, what at first seems like a heart-warming story about a guy and his father, turns into a chaotic situation in the end.

The product description labels these stories as funny, caustic, bizarre and poignant. In my opinion? Those labels fall short to describe this work. Some of these stories you will wish you could unread. After reading the book and actually enjoying most of it I found myself wondering what does that say about me?

Either way, the humor and social commentary I enjoyed so much from 'Fight Club' is present throughout the book. Characters questioning their purpose and very existence while committing the most devious acts (some in the name of love) are the common denominator in these stories.

I do not mean to spoil anything so I don't want to get into details, having said that, 'Expedition' is being mentioned everywhere as it represents the return of Tyler Durden in a story prior to 'Fight Club', do not go into it expecting too much like I did, the story is quite god but my expectation was so high that the end result was a little bit underwhelming. There are some other good stories in this book, 'Zombies' is one of them, 'Why Coyote never had money for parking', 'Torcher' and my favorite, 'Inclinations'.

Enjoyable overall, it is without a doubt a must read for fans of Chuck Palahniuk, the rest of us should approach with caution...

This is obviously for the person who enjoys well written and highly effective short stories that are on the perverted side. One could better say, weird and perverted. Twisted is another good adjective that describes this collection of stories. Recommended.

I cannot believe some of the negative comments regarding this book. It makes me wonder what people are looking for in a novel. These stories have a depth beyond any I have read. The yarns he spins are like John Updike on mescaline. Of course there are many jaw-dropping, OMG moments but that's what makes it so brilliant. These are not your cookie cutter short stories. If Flannery O'Connor were alive today, I think this would be on her bookshelf.

* I received this book for free through The Reading Room. *

Just a warning to some readers, but there is offensive usage of slurs quite a bit throughout the book and a rape joke.

Anyways, onto what I thought about the book. Some of the stories were pretty disturbing, some of them were just downright odd. The stories, for the most part, were pretty boring to read, though. There was one story where it felt like it was just a run-on sentence for about a page or two. Overall, it was okay.. would I ever recommend this book to someone? No.

Palahniuk's writing appealed to me because the stories are always ludicrous but somehow contained enough emotional truth that I could imagine them actually happening. The story builds and builds until the reader is so engrossed in the characters that they think, "Yes of course, it's definitely possible that some dude schizophrenic dude managed to start an entire cult around using each other as punching bags."

This is unfortunately not true for many of the stories in Make Something Up; the span of the short story seems to be way too short for us to truly bond with his characters. I'm now familiar enough with Palahniuk's writing that I expect the horrible truth at the end of the story to be truly devastating, but all I got this time was mild amusement.

To see my review in context, please visit: https://thewaythroughwords.wordpress.com/

The title is certainly apt! With some of the stories, you'll laugh despite yourself and with others, you just kinda cringe and wish that you had skipped it. But as the title says, you can't unread them. With thanks to the publisher, Doubleday, for my copy to read and review.

Palahniuk is a gifted writer who wasted his words on this book. His characters depict people who probably exist in some form in the real world,but i hope to never meet any of them. I must admit I gave up after 4 or 5 stories so perhaps there is something incredible in here that I missed. The title is prophetic - you can't unread these stories. And you'll wish that you could.

The author is an amazing writer with a fascinating take on things we deal with every day. Sometimes when a story ends you're left going, "That's it?" But then when you think about it a little you realize there was something very profound there.

I liked Haunted, and I thought this might be like that. I'm not sure what this is. It's a bunch of boring stories, which aren't in any way entertaining.
You don't need to "unread" them, you need to never have read them to begin with. Save yourself ... it's too late for me.

To paraphrase Dickens: It was the best of Chuck and it was the worst of Chuck.

There is great material in this collection and there are stories that feel like parodies of Chuck Palahniuk. It's nonetheless interesting to read him going through his recurring obsessions like petty consumerism, diseases and social anxiety in a form that privileges ideas over characters. This is a book meant for completists like me and not necessarily to Sunday readers.