Invisible Monsters Remix

by Chuck Palahniuk

She's a catwalk model who has a boyfriend, a career, a loyal best friend. But a sudden motor 'accident' leaves her an 'invisible monster', so hideous that no one will acknowledge she exists. Enter Brandy Alexander, Queen Supreme, who will teach her that reinventing yourself sometimes means erasing your past and making up something better...

Injected with new material and special design elements, "Invisible Monsters Remix" is a radically refashioned 'director's cut' of a favourite Chuck Palahniuk novel, turning a daring satire on beauty and the fashion industry into an even more wildly unique reading experience.

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary, Horror, Audiobook, LGBT, Thriller, Adult

302 pages, Paperback

Published June 7, 2012

About the author

Written in stolen moments under truck chassis and on park benches to a soundtrack of The Downward Spiral and Pablo Honey, Fight Club came into existence. The adaptation of Fight Club was a flop at the box office, but achieved cult status on DVD. The film’s popularity drove sales of the novel. Chuck put out two novels in 1999, Survivor and Invisible Monsters. Choke, published in 2001, became Chuck’s first New York Times bestseller. Chuck’s work has always been infused with personal experience, and his next novel, Lullaby, was no exception. Chuck credits writing Lullaby with helping him cope with the tragic death of his father. Diary and the non-fiction guide to Portland, Fugitives and Refugees, were released in 2003. While on the road in support of Diary, Chuck began reading a short story entitled 'Guts,' which would eventually become part of the novel Haunted.

In the years that followed, he continued to write, publishing the bestselling Rant, Snuff, Pygmy, Tell-All, a 'remix' of Invisible Monsters, Damned, and most recently, Doomed.

Chuck also enjoys giving back to his fans, and teaching the art of storytelling has been an important part of that. In 2004, Chuck began submitting essays to ChuckPalahniuk.net on the craft of writing. These were 'How To' pieces, straight out of Chuck's personal bag of tricks, based on the tenants of minimalism he learned from Tom Spanbauer. Every month, a “Homework Assignment” would accompany the lesson, so Workshop members could apply what they had learned. (all 36 of these essays can currently be found on The Cult's sister-site, LitReactor.com).

Then, in 2009, Chuck increased his involvement by committing to read and review a selection of fan-written stories each month. The best stories are currently set to be published in Burnt Tongues, a forthcoming anthology, with an introduction written by Chuck himself.

His next novel, Beautiful You, is due out in October 2014.

Reviews

[Steven Godin · Rating 4 out of 5]

OK, so as far as I can gather, the original Invisible Monsters jumped around in time - i.e. it's non-linear - but read in sequence in terms of chapters. Here, in the remix version, not only do we get extra scenes and characters, plus a new prologue, we also have to move back and forward depending on which chapter we are directed to. For example, read the reintroduction and then jump to chapter forty-one. Read that and then it's back to chapter one. After that you jump to chapter forty, and so on. The ending is therefore about half way through the novel. Oh, and and I forgot to mention that a few chapters are printed in mirror image. Pain in the ass, right? But no, it actually makes sense for it to be this way - just as Chuck had initially intended. Now, had I read it before; the original I mean, I would have been tempted to just experiment and read it differently and not keep jumping back and forward like a demented frog. After all, it jumps around in time anyway. In the end though, I just followed Palahniuk's chosen path. Unsurprising, I learnt that Chuck's initial draft was written whilst watching MTV, and is inspired by various fashion mags. I thought, because of it described as a satire about a model, that it might resemble Glamorama by Brett Easton Ellis in some way, but if anything it's more American Psycho. Some of the scenes really were disturbing. Not Fight Club levels, but I did find it a lot better than some of his others. And, like Fight Club, this also comes with a big twist, in regards to Brandy Alexander. I'll say no more.

[Char · Rating 5 out of 5]

I listened to this book on audio. This was such a strange story, I am at a loss for words.

The narrators were fantastic, especially Anna Fields. (Chuck P. himself was one of them). This story jumps all over the place and it takes a while to get a feel for what's happening. This audio book came with a link to a pdf file explaining how there are
are 4 different loops to follow, and the instructions on how to do that. Or, you can just listen-after each portion, a narrator pops on and tells you where to go next.

I just listened to it straight through. It's about a model that now has no face. Her name is ..well there's a choice of 3. Her life is unimaginable. It's somewhat realistic, it's all out hilarious, but it's also poignant at times. Especially the 4 times Chuck himself narrated. These parts were interesting because he talked about other things going on his life-I liked these sections the best.

So this book has a non linear story with lots of graphic violence, language, thievery, sex and lots of drugs. You definitely want to listen on ear buds and not out loud. Trust me on this.

This was a totally crazy, unique, in your face, fun read and I liked it a lot! Highly recommended!

[Matthew · Rating 2 out of 5]

I can actually see why some people would like this, but it was not for me. I did really enjoy some parts, but a lot of it was artsy-strange (if that makes sense), which I am okay with sometimes, but did not work for me here.

This was the first Palahniuk book for me, and I picked it because of the high rating, but I am not sure that I will read another one by him. If I do not enjoy a highly rated book, I cant imagine I would enjoy one witha low rating.

[M. · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't even know where to begin with this one.
At first my only qualm with it was its cynical and stoic outlook on life, but I did feel like it was solely because I'm (luckily) not in that frame of mind anymore. I did wish I had read this when I was around 15, since I'm sure the criticism to society , "bad rep" queer characters and innovative structure would have really stuck with me. But as some twists went by I was increasingly rolling my eyes at everything, by the end I couldn't have cared less. Following the "secret paths" from this remix version by the end of it, I was just wishing it would end already (I did enjoy those tangents more than the actual story though, I believe. They mentioned a lot of films which is always a plus and when Chuck Palahniuk writes about himself was interesting, I do feel like I would enjoy a "memoir" of sorts). But the back-and-forth structure ended up being a bit boring, I do wish something more interesting had been done with it, I wished for it but it never happened.
Overall I wouldn't recommend this, although I appreciate a book about beauty standards talking about the specific issues of that industry and view on trans women. But the themes could be handled so much better, with more nuance and less shock value, less twists and more deepdiving into the characters' experience. I was really not a fan of this one, sadly.

[Wayne Barrett · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 to 4. Great piece by Mr Chuck but if I had known the chapters were going to jump from place to place I would not have bought this one on my Kindle.

[TheInsaneRobin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Palahniuk is a literary artist who has an unmatched style of the blunt and depraved. The story of Daisy St. Patience is a four star tale of the absurdist dealings in self-mutilation as a means of escape.

But the “Remix” format sabotages what was already a strong novel. Palahniuk rearranges chapters, adds new framing devices, and tinkers with the structure in ways that feel more like a writer admiring his own cleverness than actually improving the narrative. You can sense him sitting back, pleased with his meta-textual games, while the reader just wants to get back to the story. The original’s chaotic energy came from the characters and situations, not from gimmicky chapter reordering.

The result is a four-star story trapped in a three-star package. If you haven’t read this book, skip the Remix and find the original edition.

[daniela (taylor's version) · Rating 3 out of 5]

“All God does is watch us and kill us when we get boring. We must never, ever be boring.”

I don't know what to think of this. At first, I was slightly bored and a little annoyed. It read like women: as written by a gay man for straight men. Then, a little disappointed. Suddenly, surprise, I was fascinated and it was incredible. That didn't last very long and I was disappointed again. Then, again, fantastic. And again, a little bored. Now I'm just confused.
There is no denying Chuck Palahniuk is incredibly entertaining as a writer, but does he take it too far? Does he not take it far enough? Who am I to say, really? I'm just a copy of a copy of a copy. (Yes, gratuitous reference. Fight me.)

[Dennis Holland · Rating 4 out of 5]

Give me BONKERS. Flash. Give me MESSED UP. Flash. Give me fabulously ABSURD. Jump to me thinking this was so unlike anything I have ever read before. Give me Satire. Flash. Give me choose your own adventure. Flash. Give me ART with some beauty and some ugly. Jump back to me really liking this book.

[emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

“The thing about Brandy is she’s got such a tolerance for drugs it takes forever to kill her.”

“We were all running from something. Vaginoplasty. Aging. The future.”

“ It wasn’t horrible, but it wasn’t love.”

[lindsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

“If I can’t be beautiful, I want to be invisible.”

To paraphrase John Waters, “get more out of life. read a fucked up book.” Normally I’m not interested in commentary on beauty from a male author, but I actually quite liked this one. 3.5/5.

[Reviews.with.Bianca · Rating 3 out of 5]

I went into this one already knowing about the non-linear structure everyone talks about the whole “jump to Chapter 41, now back to Chapter 1” setup. It sounded bold and experimental, and I really respect an author who takes creative risks like that.

But honestly? It ended up being more confusing than clever. The constant chapter hopping made it hard to stay grounded in the story, and I kept losing track of what was happening or who I was supposed to care about. It felt like trying to piece together a puzzle where the image kept changing every few pages.

The constant commentary on beauty standards, fashion, and plastic surgery definitely fits the theme, but it became a lot. I get the point as it’s meant to be dark and satirical but, it started to feel repetitive and over the top. The endless talk of remorphing faces and body parts was just too much for me at times, and it pulled me out of the story instead of adding to it.

I can appreciate what Palahniuk was trying to do by pushing boundaries, playing with form, and digging into society’s obsession with appearance. However, it felt more like a concept than an experience. The chaos didn’t always serve the story, and I struggled to stay emotionally connected to the characters.

Overall, it’s ambitious, messy, and unapologetically weird which exactly what you’d expect from Palahniuk but for me, it tipped too far into chaos to really land.

TRIGGER WARNINGS:
- Violence and gore
- Suicide and suicidal ideation
- Gun violence
- Self-harm and disfigurement
- Graphic depictions of injury and body modification
- Drug use and addiction
- Eating disorders
- Transphobia and misgendering (particularly through dated language and portrayal of trans characters)
- Sexual content and sexual violence
- Abuse (emotional and physical)
- Homophobia and offensive language
- Death and grief

[Gabby · Rating 5 out of 5]

well that didn’t go in the direction i thought it would! a wild ride nonetheless. the writing was a little challenging at first but once i let myself get into the rhythm, it became all consuming. palahniuk is hilarious and his characters have such strong voices and personalities that pair really well with his cinematic storytelling. i think i would’ve preferred the regular version but still had fun with the remix.

“all god does is watch us and kill us when we get boring. we must never, ever be boring.”

[Tingting Wei · Rating 1 out of 5]

the worst kind of edgelord

[Airiz · Rating 4 out of 5]

A reentry to Chuck Palahniuk’s universe after long stays in more run-of-the-mill (though not necessarily less entertaining) worlds in literature can send you a refreshing bolt of shock, reminding you of this author’s forte. He doesn’t hold back. He removes filters. He scrunches your eyes open as he exposes all the possible ugly truths in anything you may find beautiful. Sometimes, he makes you realize that ugly truths are the exact reasons why things are beautiful in the first place.

These realizations came back when I read Invisible Monsters Remix. I’ve been meaning to read Invisible Monsters for a long time, but I somehow got distracted by other genres—the lighter ones, those that spell the meaning of “escape” instead of those that enumerate why you really can’t get away from reality even through books.

In a recent book fair, I chanced upon a copy of Invisible Monsters’ “director’s cut” edition, Remix. The cover features a skinny blonde model whose disheveled hair was brushed to cover about three-fourths of her face, one dark eye staring out passively for dramatic effect. There was a bit of red paint over the picture to make for an illusion of carelessly smudged lipstick, a wonderful symbol for the book’s subjects if you ask me: the protagonist’s “post-accident” appearance, the fashion industry, the complexity of sexuality, plastic surgery, and violence (that paint could actually be blood and not lipstick at all…or maybe it’s both, who knows?). The texts’ jagged font looked as if a lipstick was used to write them. My point is, everything about the cover drew me in. It’s just too Palahniuk to resist, the bits I said about beauty and ugliness above present in it. Even if I haven’t read the edited version, I bought the book without second thoughts.

Invisible Monsters Remix revolves around the story of a fashion model whose career and charmed life came to a halt when an “accident” leaves her disfigured and unable to speak. She becomes friends with pill-popping Brandy Alexander, and together they travel—conning people, rummaging big houses for drugs, and in the end finding out who they really are and what significant roles they play in each other’s lives.

The chapters jump around literally; there are footnotes telling you to turn to this chapter or that, almost in a Choose Your Own Adventure style minus its alternate-endings effect. The first release of Invisible Monsters years ago wasn’t as topsy-turvy as this; however, Remix contains Palahniuk’s original vision of the novel so I was content to have read it first. The structure’s purpose is to make it so that it resembles a magazine to complement its subject matter. It doesn’t affect the story in a major way, and to be honest I think Palahniuk didn’t have to do that at all, since the contents of every chapter jump around in time and dimension anyway.

Typical of Palahniuk’s characters, everyone in this book is screwed up in one degree or another. I wanted to fully grasp the narrator’s way of thinking, but it just drifts farther and farther away from normal as the chapters go (but then again, I wouldn’t blame her after everything that has happened to her). She projects as a mad example for the society’s obsession with attention the same way Brandy Alexander is an icon for the society’s obsession with beauty and perfection.

Story-wise, I fell in love with it. The narrator spews out the tale in staccatos of flashbacks and vivid imagery that held the plot intact until the bittersweet end. This is one of the few books I’ve read that contain more than one major plot twist that didn’t come out as lame or forced—at every reveal, I find myself wanting to release a thread of curses. I love how in his best satirical approach, Palahniuk showed that grit and glam are the conjoined twins of the reality of everything and everyone that values beauty as a very important “commodity.”

For a very satisfying read, I’m giving Invisible Monsters Remix four stars.

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorites

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️

[Nina · Rating 4 out of 5]

My brain hurts after trying to follow this while driving, but it was excellent.

*book rec from friend*

[April Cote · Rating 5 out of 5]

Through this entire book I keep thinking what the fuck?? But loving it. The not knowing when the book would end, go to chapter 2, next was chapter 20 and back to chapter 5, back and forth back and forth...it was so frustrating but I liked it! I never knew when the book was going to end. A great read with the fun mystery of never knowing if your almost to the end or not. A great mind fucking, if you're in the mood for one.

[Viviana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Questo libro rimane sempre il mio preferito, e dopo questa lettura anche la versione REMIX ha un posto nel mio cuore.
Le 5 stelline le darei anche solo per l'ultimo capitolo (secondo quale ordine? Chissà!)

[Xandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an absolutely gripping psychological thriller. I loved the characters in it and the narrator felt truly deranged yet sympathetic. The puzzle aspect of the book was unique and made the book stand out, but ultimately detracted from the experience.

I feel like the structure of the book took away from the story, making dramatic reveals get undercut by random spoilers as you flip through the book and I had to stop and write out what I knew so far to get my bearings, and in doing so killed the pacing and made the later half of the book feel predictable. While disappointing, I feel like that is a major part of the theme. Nearly all the characters have a past that snuck up on them that they are trying to run from. If people had stopped to think about their situations, they may not have been as blindsided as they were when new situations developed. I feel like taking time to rest and reassess I killed the whole point of making the book a confusing mess in the first place.

The queer representation was a doozey. They were flawed, broken individuals but they worked with what they had and had struggles they often had nothing to do with being queer. They faced patronizing treatment from others at times, but it wasn't the sole source of their struggled. It was so relatable while also feeling exaggerated. Brady Alexander is iconic, and the way she talks about her gender affirming surgeries is unhinged in a way that has me amazed the author is cis. While it does give problematic trans rep vibes, I feel like it was interesting, unique, and messy which feels very true to life.

[Daniel Carvalhal · Rating 4 out of 5]

“When did the future switch from being a promise to being a threat?”

Este Invisible Monsters “Remix”, do Palahniuk, foi uma experiência literária diferente. Usa uma estrutura não linear, obrigando-nos a saltar capítulos e a seguir indicações para avançar ou recuar na história. Temos uma leitura fragmentada de pedaços que pouco a pouco se vão ligando. Essa fragmentação intensifica alguns dos temas explorados, como a identidade, aparência e a transformação.

“Because beauty is power the way money is power the way a loaded gun is power.”

A beleza, fama e autenticidade ficam expostas em carne viva. O vazio das aparências e o desconforto de não sabermos quem somos.
A procura de identidade e auto destruição são dois temas muitos frequentes nos livros do Palahniuk e neste Invisible Monsters Remix somos confrontados com o desejo de desaparecer, para finalmente sermos vistos.

“…If I can’t be beautiful, I want to be invisible…”

Não sou muito isento a avaliar o Palahniuk, tendo a gostar do que ele escreve. E já estou a pensar no próximo.

Nota: Tinha continuado feliz sem saber o que era felching.

[Sadie Lucier · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️

This one was certainly interesting! I did struggle with the remixed non-linear timeline of the story so I wonder if I would have enjoyed it with the timeline of the original novel. Also after flipping through the book when I finished I realized that there were backwards pages (meant to be read with a mirror) that I never ended up reading so I’m worried I somehow messed up with the chapter order? I feel like I flew through it which makes me nervous that I missed some of the chapters, thus leading to my confusion at some points in the book.
This book is certainly not for everyone. I did generally enjoy it, I just don’t think I was in the right headspace reading it and I do wish I had read it in the original chapter order to save me some confusion.
I love a book that’s queer, campy, and full of dark humor - this one certainly delivered on all three of those things.
This book touched on some interesting themes about queer identity which really made me take a step back and think about how queer identity is different for everyone and how it can change your life in so many ways depending on the people in your life.
Was I confused at some points in the book? Yes. Did I still eat it up? Yes! Do I think it would make a great movie? Absolutely.

[Micah Ricks · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can’t seem to stay away from Palahniuk. This one might be my least favorite, it’s close to haunted. I really just love how grimy his stories and characters can feel. I really liked this story even though I definitely got confused with the timeline. I think I’d like to give this a reread eventually. It would definitely benefit from a reread. But what I did grasp left me just happy that books like this can exist.
I REALLY laughed hard whenever her parents would start going off about the homosexual community and their new knowledge about it 😂 so funny. I think Palahniuk is really good at writing the out of touch character in a lot of different ways.
I am also always here for his pop culture musings. I thought the commentary on plastic surgery was fairly nuanced and always funny.
Anyways definitely worth the read.

[gretch · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finished on my flight home from texas. All i have to say is wow, those plot twists!!! Incredibly alluring story about how envy and jealousy can be driving forces in life. A book that makes you realize how much (or little) control you have over your life and how truly ugly “beauty”can be. Beware of trans-misogynistic themes in the novel, though handled fairly well, all things considered. Great book that kept me wanting more and more and more.

[Mila C]

As always with his books, I am not fully sure what I read but I liked it. I am going to re-read with guidance from a blog re: the order of chapters. The narrator indicates which chapter to turn to next but I can’t help but feel that I missed something. 🤔

[Amber Fults · Rating 4 out of 5]

This version is a MIND FUCK! It ends in the middle of the book and then the extra bits are confusing as fuuuuuuck. But it’s a fun ride especially if you’ve read it before!

[Benjamin Allison · Rating 3 out of 5]

Love his writing, but I found myself struggling to really connect with characters, as brilliant as they were. The plotlessness made it hard to stay invested. The ending was powerful.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked the original. This is the same story but is out of order. I feel like some of the things I found surprising in the original were mentioned too early to make it surprising.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

The premise of this book is so intriguing - a nonlinear narrative that has you flip around to different chapters in the book so you never really know where it’s going or when it’s going to end? Let’s fucking go! However, in order for this to work, the story has to be, I don’t know, good? Unfortunately, it really pissed me off. Maybe I’m taking it too seriously, but the point of satire is to make some sort of commentary on society. And the commentary here is…? I’ll wait.

[Luigi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Opinione diffusa è che oramai Chuck Palahniuk sia alla mercé degli editori: dopo qualche romanzo non proprio ispirato, siamo alla fase dei sequel e delle ri-edizioni.
Con già annunciato il seguito di Dannazione e una graphic novel che farà le veci di seguito di Fight Club d'altronde, questo 'remix' sembrerebbe essere il canto del cigno della creatività Palahniukiana.
E invece un senso, quest'edizione, ce l'ha.
Prima di tutto per regalare (anche) un'edizione rilegata ad un romanzo che, incredibile a dirsi, uscì a suo tempo direttamente in paperback.
Nell'introduzione a quest'edizione, inoltre vengono spiegate le ragioni dell'autore di questo rilascio. Come per ogni 'director's cut', l'editore aveva imposto alcuni paletti a quello che all'epoca non era lo sforna-romanzi di oggi.
L'idea originale, a quanto pare, era quella di un romanzo in cui il lettore potesse perdersi, privandolo del senso dell'orientamento all'interno delle pagine. E questo effetto è stato ottenuto (con successo, aggiungo) tramite lo stravolgimento dell'ordine dei capitoli, ed alle indicazioni dell'autore su dove proseguire.
È così che quindi si salta dalla fine all'inizio senza avere cognizione di quante pagine sono state effettivamente lette. Sono presenti, inoltre, pagine rimosse nella prima pubblicazione. Ed anche qualche stratagemma che non rivelo qui.
Il volume è quindi indirizzato a chi è piaciuta la prima declinazione della storia, ma anche a chi non l'ha mai letta, ed in questo caso consiglio di buttarsi direttamente su quest'edizione, comunque disponibile in formato tascabile.
Se l'originale l'ho letto in italiano (ottimamente tradotto), questo ho dovuto leggerlo in inglese, in quanto non mi è ancora chiaro se qualche editore italiano (Mondadori, suppongo) abbia intenzione di renderlo disponibile nel mercato nostrano. Per chi mastica l'inglese la lettura procede senza intoppi, ad ogni modo.

Ah, e non vi fidate assolutamente dei collegamenti tra i capitoli, se non volete lasciarvi dietro qualcosa...