Diary by Chuck Palahniuk
So what comes to mind when you think of Palahniuk? Fight Club, nihilism, angry feminists?

Since the publication of Fight Club, Palahniuk has gathered quite a cult following that gave him his first bestseller in the form of Choke. The bestseller standard has since followed him to his more recent works among them is Diary.

Diary follows the events of Misty Wilmot in the form of a diary she writes to her comatose husband, Peter, after his failed suicide attempt. Although the idea is that it's supposed to read like a letter to him should he ever wake, at times the novel feels like it's written like a novel and not a diary.

The story takes place on Waytansea Island - a place that was once a peaceful, remote island unheard of by anyone other than its residents, and has now become a metaphorical crap-heap for tourists to cling to like flies.

The first-half of Diary details the life of Misty, who grew up in a trailer with her impoverished single-mother and has limitless potential as a talented artist and how she came to Waytansea Island.

The novel begins with Misty describing the disintegration of the once consummate island and placing the blame solely on the tourists that frequent there. Soon she receives complaints from several tourists that their homes have recently been brutally vandalized by the contractor; who just so happens to be Peter Wilmot, Misty's husband.

As I said, the first half of the book is simply Misty looking back at her life. She recalls with dismay her youth as a failed art student to her current state as a hotel waitress. She also describes the pressure she withstands from her mother-in-law and daughter to paint a masterpiece, which she will then sell and buy back the island while she delves into her (often unflattering) feelings for her husband.

Though Misty is usually portrayed as the victim and it usually seems as if circumstance forces her into her situation more than her own choices do, it's difficult for the reader to have any sympathy for her because all she does is mope about her life without trying to change it.

Misty doesn't really deepen as a character throughout the entire book either, but in retrospect, if she did change as a character, so too would her views, the style of the writing and probably the events that surrounded her, defeating the purpose of the novel.

Most of the significant events occur in the second-half of the novel, making the first-half seem almost irrelevant - except for a few quotable one-liners and nihilistic, cynical preaching about society in general. However, when things happen, they happen fast. As Misty's position worsens and the twists in the plot develop the book, it's almost impossible to put down (although it does require a hefty amount of suspending your disbelief).

After finishing the book and thinking about it, I came to the realization that the nearly uneventful first-half of the book is necessary for the fast paced second-half to happen. While others are conspiring behind her back, Misty just feels sorry for herself and allows things to happen right in front of her. However, this doesn't really change the fact that it can be tough to get through at some stages, as there isn't a whole lot that happens.

Recently Palahniuk's been subject of much criticism and has been accused of rarely reworking his stories. Admittedly, this criticism isn't without some grounds. Palahniuk has his writing style down to a formula, and by now the formula is beginning to lose its effect.

Although this book does have differences from his other titles, such as a linear story as opposed to the story beginning after the events have unfolded and the main character being solely a victim and less of a victimizer; it does stay true to much of what Palahniuk is best known for: cynicism, horror, materialism and a dictionary definition of satire. Many modern authors have made quite illustrious careers out of repeating the same ideas over and over again (Grisham or King, anyone?). Still, Diary is a great short read that is (when at its best) both immersive and interesting. Although, if you're familiar with previous Chuck Palahniuk works you might find the similarities seem a bit too uncreative and formulaic.