Discounted Copies Here 👉 Not Forever But For Now 👈
Joeys Forever :).
Chuck Palahniuk may not jump out as an immediately recognizable name, but perhaps one can rouse the attention of casual readers by informing that Mr. Palahniuk was responsible for the book Fight Club, which happens to have inspired the film of the same name.
Not Forever But For Now(NFBFN) is a slightly different kettle of fish but puts the author's skills in visceral imagery and fearless tackling of taboo subject matter on full display, and is still very much concerned with the complexities of the social order and its attempts at varnishing over an ugly underbelly which serves as necessary evils for the average joe to sleep better at night.
Focused on brothers Cecil and Otto, the two come to construct their worldview around the mysterious demise of their father, coupled with the pillow-talk stylings of Sir David Attenborough in one of his many romps through nature. Coming to believe that time has stood still and that the two will retain their youthful exuberance forever, they endeavor to live out a sort of epicurean, kill or be killed, fantasy in which the only things that matter in the brutish world they occupy are the pleasures of the flesh.
Their interpretation of the world, as molded by their experiences with death and negatively exacerbated by an absentee single mother, desensitizes them to the dignity of their servants and the populace at large, the local townsfolk providing the ideal audience for their carnal passions and desires. Their cross-dressing, homosexual, and violent tendencies make for a good pairing to the family vocation of professional killing, as their patriarchal grandfather seeks to guide their sadistic fantasies and pleasures towards more constructive ends.
Charles Palahniuk certainly puts out an interesting effort with NFBFN, and one that certainly makes for stomach-churning and generally uncomfortable reading. I myself prefer a touch more subtlety to my violence than the more blunt force trauma approach that seems to be Mr. Palahniuk's bread and butter, but credit to a man who endeavors to show us other parts of the world as it is, those nasty parts filled with addiction, narcism, pain, and pleasure, all mashed together into a hideous abomination that moans out for our attention, pity, sympathy, and dare I say, love.
Not Forever But For Now
The story in itself struck me as a little over the top, but the use of repetition in Palahniuks references to Austalia as the barbaric antithesis to England's sophistication and pedigree was massively effective in conjunction with his ability to so skillfully paint the expressions and reactions of his characters in such an authentic and creative way. Not everyone's cup of tea to say the least, but the fact some scenes still stick with me well after reading, says a lot about the man's storytelling skills.
Yet, at the heart of it all is a poignant take on the state of the world that we live in, complete with the various institutions and endeavors that allow it to function as it does. Ignorance can certainly be bliss, but what I do know is that NFBFN is an interesting book that may shake up the bookshelf of the reader looking to leave the safety of their literary nest for a spell.
I can honestly say that Chuck Palahniuk's books have never blown me away. Indeed, Fight Club was overshadowed by its big-screen adaptation, and Haunted seemed to try too hard to be edgy, but there is something strangely alluring about this particular title, even a familiarity in tone that could easily make it a favorable read for fans of The American Horror Story series. In any event, I leave it to you, dear reader, to make up your mind. I, for one, am off to find a happy picture book to balance out the images of blood, semen, and excrement. Happy reading, folks.