52 Books, Week 11 & 13: How We Are Hungry & Choke

Week 11: How We Are Hungry (Dave Eggers)
Week 13: Choke (Dave Palahniuk)

Since both authors are supposed to be writers who connect to the angst and general disillusionment of Generation X (although Eggers seems to be more connected to Generation Y), I thought it would be appropriate to talk about them both at the same time. This is especially relevant because i'm on the cusp of both generations.

For those who are curious, Book 12 is Assata, which definitely deserves its own post.

How we Are Hungry, Eggers collection of short stories is excrutiatingly forgettable. I picked it up, because I enjoyed Eggers most famous work: A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius. There's only one story, that is worth discussing further (although the story from the point of view of a dog who runs all day, just misses the cut). The story I'm referring to describes the journey of a woman who works to overcome her own personal issues, while hiking up Mt. Kilimanjaro. Her journey, imposed over the backdrop of significant issues relating to the value of life, and how that value changes depending on what race, or country, or nation you are from made for a very powerful set of conflicting images and thoughts. Gripping in a way that few of the other stories were, Eggers finds his most compelling voice here, although unfortunately its one and done. There have got to be better collections of short stories out there. Try one of those.

Choke, is a very very graphic novel, and probably one of the most disturbing books i've ever read (until i finally get to The Stand, By Stephhen King). The title of the book comes from a fairly complicated con, in which the main protagonist pretends to choke on food at restaurants, and then is "saved" by others who then ultimately feel connected to him and help to support him financially.

From Amazon.com: Victor Mancini is a ruthless con artist. Victor Mancini is a med-school dropout who's taken a job playing an Irish indentured servant in a colonial-era theme park in order to help care for his Alzheimer's-afflicted mother. Victor Mancini is a sex addict. Victor Mancini is a direct descendant of Jesus Christ. All of these statements about the protagonist of Choke are more or less true. Welcome, once again, to the world of Chuck Palahniuk.

Tough to digest (no pun intended), its a book probably designed to shock and awe in its cavalier discussions of sex and just pure nastiness. If you didn't like Fight Club (which Plahniuk also wrote) this one probably isn't for you. For some reason, the book really spoke to me. The meaning of life, and how social mores and norms impact your personal development make the book more than just a jackass for readers. Definitely, not for the faint of heart.