C is for Chuck and Creative, too

Though I've criticized some parts of the book, I still would give "Haunted" a high score for originality. There were some intriguing characters, too. I can't say that I ever could anticipate what would happen next (save for, after a while, the fact that characters would die). If 10's the best score you could give this novel sheerly for ingenuinity, what would you rate it?

Author's agenda

There was an aspect to this novel, which I think was well-written and interesting overall, that turned me off from working on it for a while. (This is no insult to the great G-Force, who chose it.) Part of it was how these stories followed each other so closely: One was Whittier's taking advantage of the suburban volunteer mom type, and the other was the journalist who'd commit murder for a Pulitzer. While I appreciate that Palahniuk works with absurdity, as both of those stories reflected (nobody would issue a Pulitzer for a celebrity profile), he still has this agenda he's working for his male, anti-Establishment type audience.

One, take the so-called "soccer moms," who are not as inane or mediocre as people relentlessly portray them. I think Salon has or had a category once called "Soccer Moms Who Think," and it really pissed me off. Starting with choosing to stay home with your kids doesn't mean you're an intellectual lightweight. Or that you would fall prey to the seductive charms of some dying man-kid.

Two, his portrayal of journalists equally offended. I understand these were supposed to be depraved characters, but the absurdity of setting up a man as a pornographer and murderer is obviously a jab at a profession that, within my limited viewpoint, is full of people with a great deal of conscience as a rule.

So yes, both stories develop the characters, but I think it's similar to "Fight Club." That first idea has made Palahniuk a literary legend -- you can still find Web sites of guys who think Fight Club is some kind of religion. So he comes up with other people to target, who are easy to hate, like moms and the media, that his fan base loves to believe are just the way he portrays them.

TOUGH GUYS

If Chuck Palahniuk and George were in a fight club together, on whom would you bet?

Hearing voices

Did Palahniuk succeed in creating different voices for his different writers, or did it seem as if all the stories were written by the same person? Did certain character traits revealed of the writers in the narrative or the poems come through to you in the stories they were supposed to have written?

A novel idea?

How much did you care about "Haunted" as a novel? Was it more interesting just as a collection of short stories than a full narrative? Did you particularly care about the characters in the writers retreat?

And in particular, what did you think about the poems that introduced the writer before each story? Would you rather have preferred the novel have a more traditional structure to tell the story?

Best and worst

Of the stories contained in "Haunted," which did you like the best, and which the least, and why? Maybe also mention which you found particularly funny, insightful, gross and preposterous.

FELLOW READERS!

When are we going to start discussing this book? I am in love with the baglady story.

BETTER YET, ANSWER THIS IF YOU DARE

OK, I made it through the notorious first vignette in "Haunted." I trust you all are champing at the bit to share your own stories about the yuckiest thing that ever happened to you while masturbating. Or not.

Seriously, though, are there kids who devote huge amounts of time and energy looking for weird ways to do it?

ANSWER THIS, IF YOU DARE

I've alluded to this issue already, but I seriously want to know what you guys think, because this topic really intrigues me, even though it's really just futile speculation and could lead to arguments — nay, plate throwing — about sexism. Nevertheless. Can you tell that the author of this book is a woman? Would it occur to you that it was, if you didn't know? Be honest. I won't get mad, probably.

George's pick: "Haunted" by Chuck Palahniuk

This is actually my second choice; I didn't want my first selection to be a Chuck Palahniuk book, but what I was planning on using others have read. Sorry.

And I don't think we're finished with "March." But I wanted to put this out there to give time for people to get a copy (in case they were using their local library).