Making you imagine your own body and the pain and the discomfort it causes.

Palahniuk has taken a rather imaginative route – taking a body, its interior and it’s most private appendages and deconstructing the being. The shock factor is something the author plays heavily on, leading to a point where you aren’t able to tear your eyes from the page – no matter how badly you want to. You see, his brilliant writing makes the story grip you to the point where you begin to visualize exactly what is happening. Years ago, while on his book tours, Palahniuk entertained his fans by reading out ‘ Guts’, and the total count of people who fainted while the reading was going on turned out to 73. It’s sexual curiosity exceeding even that which is abnormal.Īpparatus required: A strong stomach, vivid imagination and the ability to withstand Book Palahniuk’s eccentric writing. The last one being about a kid suffering a rectal prolapse on a submerged filter in a swimming pool and having to bite off his own ‘insides’ to stop himself drowning. The short story is divided into three equally disgusting shorter parts. Rumour has it ‘ Guts’ was inspired by a true story, an incident that the then three year old Valerie Lakey suffered heavily in. Yes, this is not for the squeamish, it’s disturbing to read. Masturbating has never been put this horrifyingly. Delicacy on the subject isn’t something you will find here. Warning: This review broaches masturbation, a topic that might not be everyone’s piece of cake.

Guts book chuck palahniuk