Book review: Invisible Monsters by Chuck Palahniuk

Synopsis

She’s a catwalk model who has everything: a boyfriend, a career, a loyal best friend. But when a sudden motor ‘accident’ leaves her disfigured and incapable of speech, she goes from being the beautiful centre of attention to being an invisible monster, so hideous that no one will acknowledge she exists.

Enter Brandy Alexander, Queen Supreme, one operation away from being a real woman, who will teach her that reinventing yourself means erasing your past and making up something better, and that salvation hides in the last place you’ll ever want to look.

The narrator must exact revenge upon Evie, her best friend and fellow model; kidnap Manus, her two-timing ex-boyfriend; and hit the road with Brandy in search of a brand-new past, present and future.

Review

I had always thought I was never going to pick this one up. It had been sat on my shelves for 8 years and the synopsis didn’t really interest me. It was only because I was invited to join a group read that I actually bothered with it. And oh boy… I’m so glad I did.⁠
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This was such a wild ride of a read, I never wanted it to end. Quite honestly one of the most bizarre, fucked up and intoxicatingly beautiful books I think I’ll ever read.⁠
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Palahniuk is known for always portraying a message in his books and this one is essentially about beauty. How it can be good and how it can be terrible. We watch each of our characters fall victim to beauty – how they suffer for it and because of it.⁠
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There wasn’t any point in this book where I was even remotely bored. Every other page led to a ‘wtf’ moment. With so many weird, wacky and wonderful characters, a batshit crazy plot, and plenty of dramatic plot twists, this was an absolute joy to read… even when it did get uncomfortable!⁠
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I really think this is the kind of book that needs to be experienced first hand so I don’t want to give much more away about what happens in the book and what themes it cover.

This is a masterfully crafted train wreck. You want to look away but you just can’t. Highly recommended if you’re wanting to give Palahniuk’s work a go or if you’re into ‘so wrong it’s right’ kind of books. Loved, loved, loved this one!

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

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Book Details:

Pages: 297
Edition Published: 2000
Genre: Fiction, Contemporary, Thriller
Goodreads Av. Rating: 3.98