Haunted by Chuck Palahniuk
"People in France have a phrase: "staircase wit." In French: esprit de l'escalier. It means that moment when you find the answer, but it's too late. Say you're at a party and someone insults you. You have to say something. So under pressure, with everybody watching, you say something lame. But the moment you leave the party....
As you start down the stairway, then magic. You come up with the perfect thing you should've said. The perfect crippling put-down.
That’s the spirit of the stairway.
The trouble is, even the French don't have a phrase for the stupid things you actually do say under pressure. Those stupid, desperate things you actually think or do.
Some deeds are too low to even get a name. Too low to even get talked about."
Anyone who knows me also knows that Palahniuk is basically #1 on my list of favorite authors. When the short story 'Guts' surfaced on the internet months before the book was released, I was nauseous after reading it. This only added fuel to the fire that was my need to read the book. However, I was nowhere near a library at the time, nor couldn't afford to buy new books constantly (and wasn't aware of the jewel that is bookmooch.com).
Seventeen people (who all go by nicknames based on the stories they tell) are lured to a three-month writer's retreat by a poster posted in a cafe in Oregon. They are told, by Mr. Whittier (the retreats organizer), that a bus will pick them up the next morning and to only pack what they feel they need the most into one piece of luggage. One individual brings her cat, another brought his bowling ball.
They are then driven to an abandoned theatre, which Whittier locks them inside (including himself and his assistant, Mrs. Clark). They are allowed to leave after the three months are up, and after they have written their 'masterpiece'. They have enough food and water to survive, as well as heat, electricity, bedrooms, bathrooms and a washer & dryer for their clothing.
I have an incredibly vivid imagination, and at some points had to stop reading because of how well Palahniuk described some of the unbearable situations (at least I'm prepping myself for reading American Psycho). Some of the short stories left me with my hand covering my mouth in complete disbelief that a) something so horrible could happen and that b) someone could actually imagine it and write about it. I guess that is the talent that is Palahniuk.
And of course, the satire. Most people I know IRL can't stand satire, whereas I (obviously) love it. I tried to explain many times to a close friend of mine the fact that everyone battles for credibility and always feels the need for the spotlight (so much so that they will make their conditions worse for themselves), but they still didn't 'get' it.
Definitely recommended to everyone.
As you start down the stairway, then magic. You come up with the perfect thing you should've said. The perfect crippling put-down.
That’s the spirit of the stairway.
The trouble is, even the French don't have a phrase for the stupid things you actually do say under pressure. Those stupid, desperate things you actually think or do.
Some deeds are too low to even get a name. Too low to even get talked about."
Anyone who knows me also knows that Palahniuk is basically #1 on my list of favorite authors. When the short story 'Guts' surfaced on the internet months before the book was released, I was nauseous after reading it. This only added fuel to the fire that was my need to read the book. However, I was nowhere near a library at the time, nor couldn't afford to buy new books constantly (and wasn't aware of the jewel that is bookmooch.com).
Seventeen people (who all go by nicknames based on the stories they tell) are lured to a three-month writer's retreat by a poster posted in a cafe in Oregon. They are told, by Mr. Whittier (the retreats organizer), that a bus will pick them up the next morning and to only pack what they feel they need the most into one piece of luggage. One individual brings her cat, another brought his bowling ball.
They are then driven to an abandoned theatre, which Whittier locks them inside (including himself and his assistant, Mrs. Clark). They are allowed to leave after the three months are up, and after they have written their 'masterpiece'. They have enough food and water to survive, as well as heat, electricity, bedrooms, bathrooms and a washer & dryer for their clothing.
I have an incredibly vivid imagination, and at some points had to stop reading because of how well Palahniuk described some of the unbearable situations (at least I'm prepping myself for reading American Psycho). Some of the short stories left me with my hand covering my mouth in complete disbelief that a) something so horrible could happen and that b) someone could actually imagine it and write about it. I guess that is the talent that is Palahniuk.
And of course, the satire. Most people I know IRL can't stand satire, whereas I (obviously) love it. I tried to explain many times to a close friend of mine the fact that everyone battles for credibility and always feels the need for the spotlight (so much so that they will make their conditions worse for themselves), but they still didn't 'get' it.
Definitely recommended to everyone.