| The Manchurian Candidate meets South Park—Chuck Palahniuk’s finest novel since the generation-defining Fight Club.
“Begins here first account of operative me, agent number 67 on arrival Midwestern American airport greater _____ area. Flight _____. Date _____. Priority mission top success to complete. Code name: Operation Havoc.”
Thus speaks Pygmy, one of a handful of young adults from a totalitarian state sent to the United States, disguised as exchange students, to live with typical American families and blend in, all the while planning an unspecified act of massive terrorism. Palahniuk depicts Midwestern life through the eyes of this thoroughly indoctrinated little killer, who hates us with a passion, in this cunning double-edged satire of an American xenophobia that might, in fact, be completely justified. For Pygmy and his fellow operatives are cooking up something big, something truly awful, that will bring this big dumb country and its fat dumb inhabitants to their knees.
It’s a comedy. And a romance.
Annotation:
In the latest compelling social rant by Chuck Palahniuk, a group of hostile teenagers from an undisclosed totalitarian state come to America disguised as foreign exchange students in order to plot a terrorist attack. The group's leader, and the compelling narrator of the novel, is a politically bitter 13-year-old named Pygmy, who writes a series of satirical, fragmentary dispatches which skewer various aspects of American culture, which he regards to be absurd, affluent, imperialistic, and apathetic. As Pygmy insinuates himself into the often ridiculous existence of an average teen, his vitriolic reports attack many of the nation's favorite pastimes, from church to teenage sex, and he spouts quotations from Hitler and Idi Amin to inspire himself and his conspirators in their mission to irreparably disrupt the function of American society. As with most of Palahniuk's work, PYGMY inches into extreme violence and sick behavior, chillingly portrayed by the frighteningly unique voice of the unforgettable protagonist.
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Praise| "Palahniuk leaps over the line of good taste--and lands squarely on his feet." (starred review) - Keir Graff 03/01/2009 "Palahniuk's twisted imagination is still in full bloom, and his love affair with language, especially adjectives, is growing." - Mark Lindquist 05/24/2009 "Palahniuk is brilliant at juxtaposing Pygmy's insane background with the madness of contemporary Western society." - Jeff Vandermeer 05/20/2009 "The hollowness of contemporary American life bears the brunt of most of the author's satirical wit..., but Palahniuk also offers grim, illustrative portraits of a totalitarian state that could be representative of any number of current regimes....PYGMY' is yet another unique direction for an author who continues to challenge and intrigue readers." - Eric Liebetrau 06/18/2009 |
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Author Bio| Chuck Palahniuk | | Chuck Palahniuk (pronounced PAULA-nik) is a writer of disturbing novels and short stories that frequently expose the unpleasant underbelly of modern society and the human psyche. Palahniuk was born in Washington State and still lives in the Pacific Northwest. He went to the University of Oregon where he received his B.A. in journalism. After a short stint as a journalist, Palahniuk became an assembly-line mechanic for Freightliner. During this time he attended a writing workshop led by Tom Spanbauer, a disciple of Gordon Lish's minimalist approach to fiction writing, and a powerful influence on Palahniuk's literary style and philosophy. After his novel INVISIBLE MONSTERS was rejected for being too disturbing (it was later published), Palahniuk wrote the even more disturbing FIGHT CLUB, based in part on his experiences as a member of the Cacophony Society, a loose-knit organization specializing in pranks and rowdiness. After its publication FIGHT CLUB was made into a film by David Fincher, starring Brad Pitt, Edward Norton, and Helena Bonham Carter. The film created a devoted cult following for Palahniuk, and his subsequent novels have all achieved mainstream commercial success. Though occasionally accused of using shock value and sexism in his work, Palahniuk's sick and twisted tales continue to fascinate his mostly young audience, and have drawn comparisons to Irvine Welsh and Bret Easton Ellis. |
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