Haunted

When I first picked up “Haunted” by Chuck Palahniuk, I wasn’t ready to have my boundaries pushed as a reader. The book is a Chinese Boxes type of narrative, with several short stories taking place inside a larger meta-narrative. The plot follows a group of authors trapped together inside a creative retreat, where they agree to tell stories to pass the time.

Each short story reflects a twisted, often disturbing exploration of “the quest for fame”, and what each author is willing to do to be remembered. Themes like vanity, corruption, legacy and exploitation made me look inward and challenge… show more.

This is a unique entry in that the cursed place is a framing device, for this collection of mostly disturbing tales. For his first-ever collection of short stories, Palahniuk brings his wretched cast of characters to a haunted house, where each in turn offers his or her own demented tale. They don’t all work, but a number of the stories really stick with you, and this spooky old house at the center of it ratchets the intensity up another level—it’s not a static situation they are in, there, so the plot progresses to its own warped conclusion on this front… show more.

A group of writers held in paradise, forced to write stories that would define a generation. And then the insanity drips in, turning the story into something reminiscent of a reality show/horror movie; how far would you go for the chance to create literary perfection? 

The book itself is a series of increasingly dark short stories, connected to the overarching ‘house’ narrative. As a writer I find the character studies to be truly inspiring. And as a writer of internet horror (known as creepypasta) the idea of an invisible antagonist bleeding out creativity/ideas the same way one would drain out… show more.

Haunted is Chuck Palahniuk at his best. Of course, it is deranged, but it is also magnificently written. I loved every short story and/or poem that came from this "writer's retreat." Haunted is filled with strange characters and fascinating subplots that provoke deep thought about our current direction as a society.