Survivor

By Chuck Palahniuk

I heard an interview with Chuck Palahniuk and decided that he sounded like an author I’d like to try out.  Mostly because of the way he discussed his writing and motivation, as well as his openness and his unique past.  Having not read Fight Club (but did see the movie) I decided to take a gamble on three books that I found at a used book store.  These include Survivor, Haunted, and Damned.

The book begins with Tender Branson on a plane destined to crash while he dictates his story to the flight recorder.  As the fuel gauge counts down towards the end of the story, Tender wants to tell all.  Tender is a survivor of the Creedish Death Cult, a cult based in Nebraska.  The church focuses on training followers in etiquette, and manual labor.  Being the second born of a Creedish family, Tender is sent away from the (“homeland”) to serve the church in the outside world.  Creedish Cult members were trained to work unskilled jobs as a means to provide money to the church and their families.  Tender works as a housekeeper for a rather odd and demanding couple.  His job primarily consists of answering phone calls in regards to etiquette, and sporadic inquiries about what work he is doing around the house.  Due to a newspaper misprint, he also begins receiving phone calls from people contemplating suicide.  He advises callers to go through with it, even offering advice.  “try barbiturates and alcohol with your head inside a dry cleaning bag.”  This is how he meets Fertility, the sister of one of his suicide hotline callers.  He meets Fertility while visiting Trevor’s (her brother) tomb, and the two soon begin a friendship.

Typical to most cults, they ultimately commit mass suicide, partially induced by an FBI raid of their farm.  Continuing to obey church doctrine, the remaining outside members seem to be killing themselves.  Tender discovers that these are actually murders perpetrated by his twin brother Adam.  Tender is soon believed to be the lone survivor, and is thrust into the spotlight.  He becomes a popular religious figurehead, a process which requires both a physical and historical makeover.  He begins working out, using steroids and other pharmaceuticals (such as thyroid medication to stay thin), having various aesthetic surgeries, and his entire backstory is rewritten.  He becomes very commercialized and famous, but like most celebrities his fame begins to wane.  The public demands more and more from him, requesting a number of miracles.  Along the way Tender can feel his brother breathing down his neck.  Following a chaotic event at the Superbowl; Tender, Adam and Fertility are on the run.  This family reunion forces Tender to confront some of the horrific events that occurred on the Creedish farm.  As the plane slowly runs out of gas, Tender delves further and further into details about the cult.  The engines are flaming out, and we wonder if Tender will be able to get out alive like Fertility predicted.

            The most interesting thing about this book would have to be the style of the writing.  All dialogue from the main character is inferred, and he often trails off about how to clean, remove stains, or fix things in extensive detail.  The narrative is punctuated with details of how to clean particular areas and remove troublesome stains.  This creates a very unique kind of dialogue with the reader, as he diverts from the storyline into random asides.  Such as: “Just ask me how to get bloodstains out of a fur coat…The secret is cornmeal and brushing the fur the wrong way.  The tricky part is keeping your mouth shut.”  And “Ask me how to repair stab holes in nightgowns, tuxedos, and hats.  My secret is a little clear nail polish on the inside of the puncture.”  The author’s detail about cleaning techniques, pharmaceuticals/steroids shows that he has extensively researched these details to add to the story.  I respect this attention to detail, and felt it added to the story.  This novel was really interesting, and very different from the style of book I usually read.  I would definitely recommend it, as it was a quick read and a good change of pace from what I was reading at the time.  I look forward to reading more by Chuck Palahniuk.  If you decide to read this book, make sure you check out the author’s website for his own interpretation of the semi open-ended ending.  It wasn’t what I thought while reading the book, and I felt that it was a great explanation.

Rating: 4 out of 5 Bunsen Burners

Up Next: Haunted by Chuck Palahniuk