The idea to read this book (as you may know from my other Palahnuik reviews - Sorry, I am a broken record) was started by a co-worker who recommended the author to me.
Without giving too much away the book revolves around main character Misty Wilmont and her life on Waytansea Island. Misty is a young artist in art school when she meets her husband Peter. The two fall in love and eventually move to the island where Peter was born. The years go by and Misty puts her dreams of becoming a painter aside and takes a job at the island hotel as a waitress. Over the years she raises their daughter, develops a drinking problem, takes too many pills, and Peter falls into a coma after a failed suicide attempt - but only after he leaves behind a seriously deranged series of messages which he has enclosed in hidden rooms of the rich tourist homes he was contracted to renovate. Not so slowly, the plot unfolds and Misty discovers (with the help of her husbands gay lover Angel Delaporte) that she is, not only the reincarnation of two older artists, but that she was also recruited by Peter and the other island locals to help destroy the islands rich tourist inhabitants who they feel are destroying Waytansea's way of life.
In Palahnuik fashion, the book is rife with passages that don't make sense until you uncover the full story. I think Palahnuik was probably hoping to 'wow' his readers with this eventual conclusion - but Diary fell short, and the build up simply didn't reach a high enough peak before dropping the reader down the other side; the 'holy-shit-I-did-not-see-that-coming' moment just wasn't there, and I was left feeling that Palahnuik wrote this too quickly; there was so much room for him to get into greater character detail. This is a common criticism for me when reviewing Palahnuik.
Like Palahnuik's Pygmy, this book is written in an unconventional way - Diary is written in a diary style (hence the name) written in the third person. (See Nausea by Sartre also reviewed here of you like the diary format) The purpose of the Diary is that it is to be left for Misty's husband Peter to have as a recollection of events if /when he wakes from his coma.
I recommend this book for those who like a little suspense without biting off their fingernails. The book leaves you guessing at times but not edge-of-your-seat, so you're able to put it down should you need to, without wondering whats going to happen next. This, however, can be a point that doesn't work. If I am going to read a suspense novel, I generally like them to leave me wanting more. I was told this book was similar in feel to that of Rosemary's Baby...at times I can see a direct correlation; the way Misty is tricked by her family and her doctor, the way she is being used as a means to a sinister end, and a twist at the finale. Palahnuik truly has done something good here - at least something better than I was expecting. He riddles the book with interesting facts about art history, and the origins of paint colors, which at times I found more interesting then the plot - thankfully adding to my enjoyment.
This book is 261 pages long and it took me 3 days to read, which for a suspense novel is a bad sign, as a truly engaging one I simply cannot put down, and this one I could easily forget about.
On my sliding scale I gave this book a solid 6/10. I enjoyed it much more than the previous 3 books I have reviewed here by Palahnuik. (I know, gotta drive that home) As noted the diary-style worked for me, and it was kept consistent throughout the book. I didn't feel the book became as repetitive and predictable as previous Palahnuik books tended to. Worth a read if you're an existing fan, as there are lots of classic Palahnuik trademarks easily identifiable for those that have read even a couple of his others. After awhile his 'style' becomes very evident and you either begin to enjoy this more or...well...I don't need to tell you.
PS - There is a surprise ending AFTER the ending of the book (read it to have that statement make sense) that you'll find on the very last page. I am assuming it was left by the author as one last 'make-you freak-out' attempt - and I can see it working on a very eager reader who truly 'wants to believe'. (enter x-files theme here) Not to complain more, but I just wasn't convinced. wamp wamp... Sorry Chuck, but I am going to give you one last chance to make me a believer. Not sure what to read next?
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