Choke
by: Chuck Palahniuk
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Amazon.com Review:
Victor Mancini is a ruthless con artist. Victor Mancini is a med-schooldropout who's taken a job playing an Irish indentured servant in acolonial-era theme park in order to help care for his Alzheimer's-afflictedmother. Victor Mancini is a sex addict. Victor Mancini is a directdescendant of Jesus Christ. All of these statements about the protagonistof Choke are more or less true. Welcome, once again, to the world ofChuck Palahniuk.
"Art never comes from happiness." So says Mancini's mother only a few pagesinto the novel. Given her own dicey and melodramatic style of parenting,you would think that her son's life would be chock-full of nothing but art.Alas, that's not the case. In the fine tradition of Oedipus, StephenDedalus, and Anthony Soprano, Victor hasn't quite reconciled his issueswith his mother. Instead, he's trawling sexual-addiction recovery meetingsfor dates and purposely choking in restaurants for a few moments ofattention. Longing for a hug, in other words, he's settling for theHeimlich.
Thematically, this is pretty familiar Palahniuk territory. It would be apity to disclose the surprises of the plot, but suffice it to say that whatwe have here is a little bit of Tom Robbins's Another RoadsideAttraction, a little bit of Don DeLillo's The Day Room, and, well, alittle bit of FightClub. Just as with Fight Club and the other two novels underPalahniuk's belt, we get a smattering of gloriously unflinching sound bites,including this skeptical bit on prayer chains: "A spiritual pyramid scheme.As if you can gang up on God. Bully him around."
Whether this is the novel that will break Palahniuk into the mainstream ishard to say. For a fourth book, in fact, the ratio of iffy,"dude"-intensive dialogue to interesting and insightful passages is alittle higher than we might wish. In the end, though, the author's nerveand daring pull the whole thing off--just barely. And what's next forVictor Mancini's creator? Leave the last word to him, declaring as he doesin the final pages: "Maybe it's our job to invent something better.... Whatit's going to be, I don't know."--Bob Michaels
Product Description:
Victor Mancini, a medical-school dropout, is an antihero for our deranged times. Needing to pay elder care for his mother, Victor has devised an ingenious scam: he pretends to choke on pieces of food while dining in upscale restaurants. He then allows himself to be “saved” by fellow patrons who, feeling responsible for Victor’s life, go on to send checks to support him. When he’s not pulling this stunt, Victor cruises sexual addiction recovery workshops for action, visits his addled mom, and spends his days working at a colonial theme park. His creator, Chuck Palahniuk, is the visionary we need and the satirist we deserve.
Victor Mancini is a ruthless con artist. Victor Mancini is a med-schooldropout who's taken a job playing an Irish indentured servant in acolonial-era theme park in order to help care for his Alzheimer's-afflictedmother. Victor Mancini is a sex addict. Victor Mancini is a directdescendant of Jesus Christ. All of these statements about the protagonistof Choke are more or less true. Welcome, once again, to the world ofChuck Palahniuk.
"Art never comes from happiness." So says Mancini's mother only a few pagesinto the novel. Given her own dicey and melodramatic style of parenting,you would think that her son's life would be chock-full of nothing but art.Alas, that's not the case. In the fine tradition of Oedipus, StephenDedalus, and Anthony Soprano, Victor hasn't quite reconciled his issueswith his mother. Instead, he's trawling sexual-addiction recovery meetingsfor dates and purposely choking in restaurants for a few moments ofattention. Longing for a hug, in other words, he's settling for theHeimlich.
Thematically, this is pretty familiar Palahniuk territory. It would be apity to disclose the surprises of the plot, but suffice it to say that whatwe have here is a little bit of Tom Robbins's Another RoadsideAttraction, a little bit of Don DeLillo's The Day Room, and, well, alittle bit of FightClub. Just as with Fight Club and the other two novels underPalahniuk's belt, we get a smattering of gloriously unflinching sound bites,including this skeptical bit on prayer chains: "A spiritual pyramid scheme.As if you can gang up on God. Bully him around."
Whether this is the novel that will break Palahniuk into the mainstream ishard to say. For a fourth book, in fact, the ratio of iffy,"dude"-intensive dialogue to interesting and insightful passages is alittle higher than we might wish. In the end, though, the author's nerveand daring pull the whole thing off--just barely. And what's next forVictor Mancini's creator? Leave the last word to him, declaring as he doesin the final pages: "Maybe it's our job to invent something better.... Whatit's going to be, I don't know."--Bob Michaels
Product Description:
Victor Mancini, a medical-school dropout, is an antihero for our deranged times. Needing to pay elder care for his mother, Victor has devised an ingenious scam: he pretends to choke on pieces of food while dining in upscale restaurants. He then allows himself to be “saved” by fellow patrons who, feeling responsible for Victor’s life, go on to send checks to support him. When he’s not pulling this stunt, Victor cruises sexual addiction recovery workshops for action, visits his addled mom, and spends his days working at a colonial theme park. His creator, Chuck Palahniuk, is the visionary we need and the satirist we deserve.
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Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
Rating: - It was ok
Liked it, but I am ok with not reading it again. I was a quick read.
Rating: 
- blah
I saw Fight Club the movie, so I thought this guy might have some good books.I went to get his latest "Pygmy", but a reviewer suggested if one hadn't read any of his books to not start with it because it was written in broken english for effect. ok, so I get choke, it looked interesting enough.And for some parts it is but he beats the sex to death and the filth.`like some adolescent being dirty just to be dirty. yuk
Rating: 
- Loved my first Palahniuk novel
This was my introduction to Chuck Palahmiuk in print form (I'd seen Fight Club just like the rest of the free world).Even the small characters were interesting in this great story.I'm adding all of his books to my wish list.
Rating: - Reminded me of Fight Club
This was definitely another great story bu Chuck, but honestly it reminded a lot of the same themes that were discussed in fight club. But that being said, this has a brilliant way of describing the way the most paculiar relationships have of finding each other. Good read. :)
Rating: 
- Interesting...
I liked this book, it was interesting, twisted, and different. I did not like it as much as Survivor though, but enough to buy another of his books. Choke leads you on a path that you assume is going somewhere, and although it has many surprises, it fails to make any ultimate point.
I'd buy it again.
- It was okLiked it, but I am ok with not reading it again. I was a quick read.
- blahI saw Fight Club the movie, so I thought this guy might have some good books.I went to get his latest "Pygmy", but a reviewer suggested if one hadn't read any of his books to not start with it because it was written in broken english for effect. ok, so I get choke, it looked interesting enough.And for some parts it is but he beats the sex to death and the filth.`like some adolescent being dirty just to be dirty. yuk
- Loved my first Palahniuk novelThis was my introduction to Chuck Palahmiuk in print form (I'd seen Fight Club just like the rest of the free world).Even the small characters were interesting in this great story.I'm adding all of his books to my wish list.
- Reminded me of Fight ClubThis was definitely another great story bu Chuck, but honestly it reminded a lot of the same themes that were discussed in fight club. But that being said, this has a brilliant way of describing the way the most paculiar relationships have of finding each other. Good read. :)
- Interesting...I liked this book, it was interesting, twisted, and different. I did not like it as much as Survivor though, but enough to buy another of his books. Choke leads you on a path that you assume is going somewhere, and although it has many surprises, it fails to make any ultimate point.
I'd buy it again.
