REVIEW: ‘The Invention of Sound’ by Chuck Palahniuk
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Chuck Palahniuk has crafted a literary career of extreme fiction that outlines the sordid lives and downward spirals of a motley variety of characters. His most famous work is Fight Club, which was made into a successful movie starring Brad Pitt and Edward Norton, and he’s found an audience with other genre tomes like Choke, Invisible Monsters, Damned and Lullaby. His latest is The Invention of Sound, which doesn’t have the same quotient of shocks as his earlier works, but the author has not lost any of his edge. The story in these pages is dark and dirty, but somehow redeeming and human. It’s a solid read, one that takes unexpected turns and offers a biting commentary of current times.
There are two main storylines in The Invention of Sound, which is best experienced without knowing too much about the narrative. So here’s the briefest of summaries: Gates Foster lost his daughter, and he continues to search for answers about what exactly happened to her. His travels into his child’s kidnapping take him down some difficult and unbearable corridors, but he’s determined to keep his eyes laser-focused on the prize: a conclusion (which is different than closure, a feeling that Gates will probably never feel).
On the other side of the plot, there’s Mitzi, a sound artist for Hollywood films who has a few secrets she’d rather not get out of her recording studio. Her job is essentially to create authentic-sounding screams for those times in movies when someone is thrown off a cliff or running away from a zombified monster. As a craftswoman dedicated to her profession, she goes to great lengths to find the right audio.
How these two storylines connect is one of the points of interest in The Invention of Sound. Palahniuk seamlessly moves between the two narratives, taking on each of the character’s voices and offering believable passages about their thoughts, feelings and insecurities. Being that this is Palahniuk, there is the occasional paragraph thrown in that turns out to be super-violent or super-disgusting, which makes the story feel more real, even if it’s a chore to get through such sections.
There’s a dark humor that runs throughout Palahniuk’s work, and that is definitely the case with this book. As Gates and Mitzi set themselves on a collision course of redemption and revenge, their actions offer plenty of asides on Hollywood, movie-making and the current state of culture and society in the 21st century. This is one of Palahniuk’s best traits: his uncanny ability to outline the pulse of the United States, detailing its simultaneous heart and hypocrisy.
The Invention of Sound, a rather quick read, doesn’t always work as well as intended. Although there is a nice speed to the narrative, there are a few sections that call for further backstory and context. On more that one occasion, this reviewer had to repeat some passages just to understand what was going on and who was being referenced, but once a rhythm was achieved, it was off to the races.
If taken as a literal story, there’s a certain level of appreciation a reader can find in Palahniuk’s words. If taken as an allegory (with some healthy suspension of disbelief), there’s a greater deal to appreciate and ponder. The messages come fast amidst Gates’ and Mitzi’s respective journeys, and one begins to question what decisions would be made and how far one might go. The answers to these queries, which no doubt will swirl in the mind of the reader for hours beyond the final page, are half the fun of picking up a Palahniuk book.
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
The Invention of Sound by Chuck Palahniuk. Grand Central Publishing. 240 pages. $27. Click here for more information.
