Imagine condensing your life into approximately 300 pages. Would you be able to do it?
“Survivor” by Chuck Palahniuk does just that. It is a satirical novel that explores a dark side of human nature. Chuck Palahniuk is the author of “Fight Club” which is how I was introduced to him. The main character of this novel is Tender Branson and the book is told from his perspective. The entirety of the book takes place on a plane (Flight 2039 to be specific) but includes recollections of past events in different settings. I can honestly say that this novel is one of the most interesting and enjoyable books I have ever read.
The whole concept of this book is that Tender Branson is the last surviving member of the Creedish Death Cult and he has been granted with fame and fortune because of this. He is speaking into the recorder on the plane where he is explaining how he got to this point in his life. That point is that he is cruising on autopilot until he crashes. The reader follows Tender through the narration of his life. He is speaking until the engines all die out. When Tender is faced with the task of condensing his life, he touches on his childhood/upbringing, his job/activities and the few people in his life, including Fertility Hollis who is the largest supporting character in the novel.
The character development is my least favorite part of the novel. I think that the character development in this book is very limited. We are receiving a firsthand account of an individual’s life but how reliable is his account? Tender as a character has not had the easiest life and we are expected to respect his perspective on his life. Because of this, he may be excluding things or altering his memories. Although I see the limitations of the narration, I can also see why one would be tempted to trust Tender. Tender talks about a lot of topics including sexual experiences which implies he is not filtering his life. Would you be entirely truthful when condensing your life under these circumstances?
The writing style was my favorite part of the novel. The novel is structured in a fashion where the chapter and page numbers count down as you read. Even though this is a simple change, I believe it suits the storyline because it also serves as a countdown leading to the plane crash. Chuck Palahniuk does a great job at showing what kind of person Tender is. Tender is a lost individual who needs constant guidance. Without guidance, Tender is distraught and even more lost. Palahniuk shows Tender’s reliance on others by making him constantly subordinate and taking orders from others.
If you have seen or read “Fight Club”, I would definitely recommend this book. It has an interesting, dark topic but incorporates a good amount of humor and originality. Tender Branson is a very damaged individual and it was both sad and reassuring to follow his thoughts. I found the writing easy to follow because of the informal nature of the novel. Chuck Palahniuk took a very different plot organization and executed it well. The end of the book definitely can be left up to interpretation which is done with purpose and I believe it was the correct choice. I am glad that this book was recommended to me and that I enjoyed it so much.
“Survivor” by Chuck Palahniuk does just that. It is a satirical novel that explores a dark side of human nature. Chuck Palahniuk is the author of “Fight Club” which is how I was introduced to him. The main character of this novel is Tender Branson and the book is told from his perspective. The entirety of the book takes place on a plane (Flight 2039 to be specific) but includes recollections of past events in different settings. I can honestly say that this novel is one of the most interesting and enjoyable books I have ever read.
The whole concept of this book is that Tender Branson is the last surviving member of the Creedish Death Cult and he has been granted with fame and fortune because of this. He is speaking into the recorder on the plane where he is explaining how he got to this point in his life. That point is that he is cruising on autopilot until he crashes. The reader follows Tender through the narration of his life. He is speaking until the engines all die out. When Tender is faced with the task of condensing his life, he touches on his childhood/upbringing, his job/activities and the few people in his life, including Fertility Hollis who is the largest supporting character in the novel.
The character development is my least favorite part of the novel. I think that the character development in this book is very limited. We are receiving a firsthand account of an individual’s life but how reliable is his account? Tender as a character has not had the easiest life and we are expected to respect his perspective on his life. Because of this, he may be excluding things or altering his memories. Although I see the limitations of the narration, I can also see why one would be tempted to trust Tender. Tender talks about a lot of topics including sexual experiences which implies he is not filtering his life. Would you be entirely truthful when condensing your life under these circumstances?
The writing style was my favorite part of the novel. The novel is structured in a fashion where the chapter and page numbers count down as you read. Even though this is a simple change, I believe it suits the storyline because it also serves as a countdown leading to the plane crash. Chuck Palahniuk does a great job at showing what kind of person Tender is. Tender is a lost individual who needs constant guidance. Without guidance, Tender is distraught and even more lost. Palahniuk shows Tender’s reliance on others by making him constantly subordinate and taking orders from others.
If you have seen or read “Fight Club”, I would definitely recommend this book. It has an interesting, dark topic but incorporates a good amount of humor and originality. Tender Branson is a very damaged individual and it was both sad and reassuring to follow his thoughts. I found the writing easy to follow because of the informal nature of the novel. Chuck Palahniuk took a very different plot organization and executed it well. The end of the book definitely can be left up to interpretation which is done with purpose and I believe it was the correct choice. I am glad that this book was recommended to me and that I enjoyed it so much.