Choke and Choke

A quote from Choke by Chuck Palahniuk I think sums it up quite nicely is,

"Nothing is as exciting as your fantasy." - Victor Mancini. 

When you read Choke, you'll understand.

Choke by Chuck Palahniuk 

Choke by Chuck Palahniuk was really funny. As soon as it started The details were so vivid I could actually see everything happening. I wasn't confused at all. I don't think I can emphasize how much the detail brought everything to life. This is the most vivid mind imagery I've ever had while reading a book. Maybe it's because I've read so many that now my mind is used to creating an imagine. But I really think it was the style of writing in Choke. The style of writing reminded me of Bret Easton Ellis's tweets on Twitter. Victor has a similar personality to Ellis on Twitter, which is a mixture of complaining, womanizing, scheming and intentionally having the most unpopular opinion so that people will argue with you. Reading Choke was like talking to a friend because of the style of writing. The language and tone were the chillest out of all the Palahniuk novels I've read.

The theme of all parents screw up their kids is prevalent. I love that theme because it's so true and so easy to relate. I also think existentialism is another theme in Choke; Victor is just in a perpetual state of existentialism and it's hilarious. He is living day to day searching for a reason to live and not give up with everything going the opposite ideal. The few things he does to keep him going are even a burden to him.

The last few chapters of Choke were totally Fight Club-esque. I felt that Victor came to a realization just like the narrator of Fight Club did. Some other parts of those last chapters reminded me of Fight Club, but I don't want to spoil anything. The twist in Choke is also unlike any other Palahniuk novel; it's so much better. There's also a hilarious scene towards the end of the book while Victor is pretending to choke.

Choke is absolutely the Palahniuk novel I see most of myself. When I was reading Choke, all I could think was Victor says everything I think. He's my spirit animal. Choke is mostly it's about a relationship between a mother and her baby boy (which I think is one of the strongest relationships  especially if the son is the first or only born). Diary by Chuck Palahniuk is my favorite novel by him, but after reading Choke I think it's taking a seat as second best. I literally cannot say enough great praises about Choke. I most definitely recommend Choke by Chuck Palahniuk. It has to be the best book I've read all 2012.

Choke (2008)

Choke directed by Clark Gregg was funny; I love a good dark comedy. I was really excited/anxious to see how the novel was adapted into a film. Because you can get away with so much more in a novel than in a film and Palahniuk's novels take full advantage of that. I couldn't wait to see what was left out and kept from the book in the film. To my surprise, a lot from the novel was kept in the film. Two scenes I thought would give it a rating of NC-17 were kept and Choke (2008) was only rated R. Amazing. I liked Choke by Chuck Palahniuk better only because the way I pictured the characters was completely different from who they casted. For example, even though Sam Rockwell's acting was more than I could've asked for, I don't think he embodied Victor too well. I just wish the acting of Sam Rockwell and Anjelica Huston was still there just in other actors. Does that make sense?

I don't know what it is, but recently when I watch a film of a book I've read, I just feel like everything is just happening; just scene after scene. So I tried to imagine I hadn't read Choke before watching Choke. It kind of worked, especially when one of the characters was introduced.

The opening scene of Choke completely reminded me of Fight Club (1999). It's quite difficult to talk about Choke the film without giving anything away. I did find it funny and I really appreciated that not much had changed in the adaptation. But the book is far more memorable.

I definitely recommend reading Choke by Chuck Palahniuk before you watch Choke (2008).

Sidenote: There was a connection to Choke by Chuck Palahniuk to the film The Art of Getting By (2011) directed by Gavin Wiesen. The quote in Choke, "We live, we die, and anything else is just delusion." immediately made me think of the quote, "We live alone, We die alone. Everything else is just an illusion." from The Art of Getting By. Choke came out before The Art of Getting By leading me to think that either the writer of The Art of Getting By, Wiesen, read Choke or he just thought of it himself. I just find it so uncanny how similar the quotes were if they just coincidentally happened. Pretty cool if was just a coincidence.