Not Quite Up To ‘SNUFF’ | Chuck Palahniuk

FIGHT CLUB author, Chuck Palahniuk’s latest novel SNUFF is all about sex, except there’s nothing sexy about it. Heavier on gimmick than on literary merit, SNUFF reads more like insta-screenplay. The characters and plot are developed only enough to hold your attention for two hours (no more). As a novel the story and characterization lacks the depth and gratification that a reader expects.

The story is more soap opera than anything else. Washed up porn star Cassie Wright (she has her own fake MySpace), urged on her “assistant” Sheila aims to star in the ultimate record-braking gang-bang: 600 dudes, 1 day. Told primarily from the point of view of three different characters: Mr. 600 (who may or may not be Cassie’s baby daddy), Mr. 72 (who may or may not be Cassie’s son), Mr. 137 (a closet ‘mo with far too much to prove), and the talent wrangler Sheila (a cold, fact spewing, clipboard holder with dandruff issues –- the result of using Cassie’s signature phallus-shaped shampoo — who may or may not provide a much needed plot twist).

As film, porn is either laughable or utterly boring –- its sole value is instant, disposable, sexual stimulation. SNUFF is like porn, but without the stimulation. Let’s face it, writing a book from the point of view of 600 individual men would‘ve made a better book, but not a solid proto-screen play, which is what SNUFF essentially aims to be. Palahniuk’s three guys quickly merge into one other. And it’s unclear if this is the author’s intention. The remaining 597 men are practically invisible – reduced to sexual scenery.

There’s also a lot of overlap. As one scene ends, another picks off, often with a page or two of drudging review – as if the author felt he needed to repeat the story for a late-arriving audience member. The transition between chapters is possibly the most frustrating aspect of the novel. SNUFF reads like a robust short story that was then (probably at the urging of some editor or agent) expanded into an anemic version of a novel. The adult movie titles — World Whore 1-3, The Wizard of Ass, Chitty Chitty Gang Bang, The Italian Hand Job — make up at least 1/3 of the novel’s content and possibly the only entertainment.

SNUFF is mostly anti-sex. Cassie Wright is destroyed (literary, and figuratively) by sex and the business of sex. The same industry that gave birth to Cassie’s porno-fame is the same industry by which she becomes pregnant, and the primary reason for why she must give-up her child. Career moms are one thing (See Sarah Palin), but a PTA mom who dabbles in porn films is a lot to ask of any child.

Don’t expect to finish reading SNUFF feeling good about your x-tube subscription. In fact, skip SNUFF all together. The movie version (which undoubtedly Palahniuk’s agent is presently negotiating) will probably be better anyway. Instead, Read Dennis Cooper’s SLUTS — a far more interesting story about sex, porn, prostitution and our sometimes-despicable contemporary online behavior.

Here’s the trailer. I guess Doubleday (Chuck’s publisher) has some money to burn.

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