I have long considered Haunted to be the worst book I’ve ever read for one simple reason; I have never picked up another Chick Palahniuk book in almost twenty years. I picked up the book a huge fan of his, eager to read his latest novel, and by the time I closed the back cover I was done with him as an author. Every character spoke and acted as a homogeneous unit, the story is dark with zero payoff. Not a single character demonstrates any growth at all, there’s just a parade of moody static people doing awful things regardless of if it advances the plot at all.

I just finished The Postman Always Rings Twice and, for a story that is barely over a hundred pages, there’s so much going on in there. I really enjoyed it and I’m eager to see its influence on The Stranger, which I just started.

I also finally completed Heed the Thunder by Jim Thompson, and while it is far from a lost classic, it’s interesting to see the evolution of his writing.