by Chuck Palahniuk
Okay - so I need to read more carefully. I read that the book was a collection of short stories so I started reading the first story. Then I realized that the stories all make up the novel. Heh - so, this might be breaking the rules a bit, but because the short stories all make up a novel - I'm still going to count it as a short story.
Now that that's all dealt with, let's move on.
Palahniuk beings each of these stories with a poem. In this first poem and story, we get an introduction to a bus load of individuals on the road to a seemingly secluded area for 3 months for a workshop. The workshop is to become short story writers. In this story, Palahniuk hints that this trip is indeed the last one for all of these people. Very ominous.
This is the first work of Palahniuk's that I read, and I've heard that he includes some humor in his seriousness - and this story is no exception. In it, Palahniuk points out how we tend to give others nicknames based on their sins, habits and stories. He introduces each of the characters and their sins, habits and stories. Often times during this first section he breaks "the fourth wall" and beckons the reader to think about certain aspects of the story. It's truly fantastic.
Verdict
Though it's only the first story, I can tell that Palahniuk's writing is truly great. It sucked me right in and I can't wait to get to the other stories in this book in order to know why this book is called Haunted. Definitely recommend!
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