Book Reviews of Diary

I am a huge Chuck Palahniuk fan and picked up Diary after devouring Invisible Monsters and Choke within a few days of each other. I was REALLY disappointed in Diary! The plot just wasn't settling with me and was nonsensical in a way that only made Palahniuk's other books more amazing. I would pass on this if you were new to Palahniuk's work.

This was the first book I'd read by Palahniuk, though I'd heard of him before. Diary was a bit hard to get into, especially since it's written in the second person. But once I got through the first couple chapters, I was hooked. It's twisted, funny, and amazing. Very engaging.

I have read Fight Club, Choke, Rant, and now Diary. While I have enjoyed all four of Palahniuk's books, I enjoyed Rant the most. Diary is good, but the storyline takes a little while to develop and the "twist," found in Fight Club and Rant, isn't as jarring as in those books. The main character is female in Diary; also a difference from the other Palahniuk books I have read.
If you enjoy Palahniuk, you'll like Diary. If you haven't ever read any Palahniuk, I would recommend trying another of his books first before reading Diary.
The story involves a woman from a meager background who strives to be an artist. She marries a man she meets at art school who takes her to Waytansea island which she views as an idyllic place of which she has always fantasized (even so far as having imagined the exact houses on the isle). Things turn a little sour when her father-in-law dies, her husband attempts suicide, and people start calling her house about missing rooms in their vacation homes on which her, now incapacitated, husband had performed work.

Chuck Palahniuk definitely has his own specific writing style, so it may take a little bit to get into, but it's an interesting story with some good plot twists. A little weird, but definitely entertaining.

Misty was a budding artist, when she met Peter. He is from an old family on Waytansea Island. They marry and Misty gets caught up in being a mother and housewife. When Peter lies in a coma after a botched suicide attempt, things start to take a very strange turn. As a contractor, Peter apparently walled off rooms in his clients' houses and covered the walls with vile messages. People on the island start pressuring Misty to start painting her masterpiece, and suddenly Misty's luck turns really bad.

Usually, once you accept the story and characters, Palahniuk's novels make sense (in a way), but this time, I just could not "get into it".

An enagaging read with a big build up and a weak delivery.

Leaves you guessing until the very end.

I love Chuck but I was disapointed with this book. It was a lot of build up and mystery for something I didn't really care about in the end.

This book was rediculously bad as far as Chuck's books go. It was entertaining, but the ending came out of nowhere and just left me annoyed.

More great Palahniuk.

It was a little "out there," even for Chuck. Not his best but still a good read.

Bizarre as always. Though not one of my favorites of his, I like Palahniuk.

I think you need to be a fan of the author to appreciate this book, a "dark, hilarious story". It was a very strange story.

Typical Chuck Palahniuk. Some parts just grossed me out.