Pygmy by Chuck Palahniuk
Halfway through my second Palahniuk novel to read, and I get him as an author:
- Repetition
- Socialist Ideas
- Disgust with consumerism & modern society
- Sex
- Being very clever
- Awesome plots
Chuck describes the internal thoughts, and thoughts on the surroundings, rather than the surroundings themselves. So, the trees looked green to him, rather than the trees are green.
This book involves a sleeper agent child in the USA, and is presented as dispatches regarding his achievements. They are written in a unique style – English, technical, obsessive. And obviously not real – real would be in Pygmy’s native language, especially the flashbacks to his younger years. So from early on you realise this is all just fun. The style is hard at first, but you do get used to it, and it is not as difficult a read as it may seem. For me anyway, maybe others would give up, although I usually can’t handle difficult reads with challenging language.
This is my favourite paragraph, where this North Korean / Chinese / Russian et al kid spy describes a high school dance – his mission seems to be to either impregnate or kill everyone…
Occasional male student approach female, request mutual gyrate to demonstrate adequate reproductive partner, fast gyrate to display no cripple. No genetic defect to bequeath offspring. Demonstrate coordinated, plenty vital to provision impregnated female throughout gestation period. Provision subsequent offspring until matured. Females flaunt dermis and hair to depict viable vessel for impregnate, paint face so appear most symmetrical. Best likely produce frequent alive births.
So far there have been infiltrations, numerous teen pregnancies, Rohypnol, mass shootings, martial arts and sodomy. This is confronting stuff.