Chuck Palahniuk\u2019s \u201cDamned<\/a>\u201d is a part horror, part fantasy novel taking the reader through the geography of Hell by combining the structure of Judy Blume\u2019s \u201cAre You There God? It\u2019s Me, Margaret<\/a>\u201d with the character archetypes of the \u201cThe Breakfast Club<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n Though Palahniuk\u2019s status as a prolific, critically acclaimed author shows on the line-level, the novel itself is a messy, often repetitive endeavor that doesn\u2019t stand out as something necessarily worth reading. The few poignant moments illuminating grief, death and Western hypocrisy are drowned among repetitive crass, brutal and offensive descriptions that seem to have no intent other than to shock the reader.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re looking for an intro into Palahniuk<\/a>, you would do better starting with his earlier works such as \u201cFight Club<\/a>\u201d or \u201cChoke<\/a>.\u201d If you\u2019re looking to expand your knowledge of Palahniuk, then reading \u201cDamned\u201d might be worth your while.<\/p>\n Want more? Read our full list of the best books about the afterlife<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n Thirteen-year-old Madison Spencer wakes up in Hell. She thinks she died from a marijuana overdose, and that that is the reason she finds herself in Hell rather than in Heaven. She is the daughter of Hollywood megastars whom she describes as \u201cformer beatniks, former hippies, former Rastas, former anarchists,\u201d a fat girl who has been ostracized throughout her (short) life. Her first stop in Hell is a jail cell where she befriends her surrounding mates:<\/p>\n Together, they escape their confinements and begin exploring the terrains of Hell.<\/p>\n After her death, it seems, Madison starts living. After travelling through Hell\u2019s terrains \u2014 such as The Sea of Insects or perhaps The Ocean of Wasted Sperm, all representing different sins and modes of torture \u2014 Madison ends up working as a telemarketer at a horrific call center and begins to recruit a surprising number of souls to Hell through her calls instead of tormenting them. Eventually, Madison learns her real cause of death and the truth about her presence in Hell.<\/p>\n Editorial note:<\/em><\/strong> You might also like our review of “The Memory Police”<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div> At The Rauch Review<\/a>, we care deeply about being transparent and earning your trust. These articles explain why and how we created our unique methodology for reviewing books and other storytelling mediums.<\/p>\n<\/div> Readers from all demographics looking for a novel about the afterlife that does not shy away from gore elements will likely find a match in \u201cDamned.\u201d The novel might appeal to those who wish for a book that deals with death and grief without hiding the ugly parts, but still maintains an optimistic philosophical approach overall.<\/p>\n Though set in Hell, the novel creates an afterlife that embodies the contemporary world which it parallels. Still, fantastical elements do exist within \u201cDamned\u201d; the presence of different demons, Satan himself, and the ability to travel between different realms all add a supernatural backdrop to the novel\u2019s realistic aesthetic. Readers looking for something set in-between the every-day and the otherworldly might be interested in giving \u201cDamned\u201d a chance.<\/p>\n The novel is composed of confessional letters from Madison to Satan, starting at the point when she wakes up in Hell, interspersed with memories of her short life, in the style of \u201cAre You There God? It\u2019s Me, Margaret.\u201d In the letters, Madison references many of the influences of the novel directly, including Judy Blume<\/a>, \u201cThe Breakfast Club,\u201d which she keeps comparing her little band of misfits to, and novels such as \u201cJane Eyre<\/a>,\u201d which developed Madison\u2019s sense of self as a person.<\/p>\n The first-person narration puts readers directly in Madison\u2019s head, and that narrative choice might lead to the most glaring of the novel\u2019s weaknesses. Madison does not sound like a thirteen year old girl. To be fair, she is highly self-aware. A common theme of the novel are lines such as \u201cI might be thirteen and a newbie to the underworld, but don’t take me for an idiot\u201d and \u201cI might be a dreamy, romantic, preadolescent girl, but I can recognize a metaphor when one batters me over the head.\u201d Nonetheless, the awareness feels more like a copout enabling Palahniuk to use a voice he is familiar with (that of an older white man) rather than a genuine attempt to create a 13-year-old girl with a voice unique to her experience.<\/p>\n Editorial Note: We believe these three factors are important for evaluating general writing quality across every aspect of the book. Before you get into further analysis, here\u2019s a quick breakdown to clarify how we\u2019re using these words:<\/i><\/i><\/p>\n While the idea of a 13-year-old girl waking up in hell and collecting a band of misfits around her on her way to find out how she truly died and why she truly ended up in Hell instead of Heaven is compelling in itself, the execution of this idea becomes tiresome after the initial excitement of the early chapters.<\/p>\n It\u2019s hard to get invested in Madison\u2019s quest when she does not read like a believable 13-year-old. Her memories of her family, friends and life begin to repeat themselves. Her time in Hell is a choppy collection of moments that don\u2019t necessarily relate to each other. Other characters serve as props to Madison\u2019s character, being reflected through the lens of her confessional letters only. It\u2019s hard to relate to any of them outside of Madison\u2019s story.<\/p>\n Overall \u201cDamned\u201d might sound more compelling to read than the actual experience of reading it.<\/p>\n The novel\u2019s advantage is its prose. Palahniuk\u2019s skills as a novelist show in the flow of the language and the clear structure of sentences. Palahniuk\u2019s a clever writer who clearly knows the craft inside out. You could find plenty of gems worth quoting within \u201cDamned,\u201d such as this simple hopeful observation about the possibility of human betterment: \u201cI can become someone else, not out of pressure and desperation, but merely because a new life sounds fun or interesting or joyful.\u201d<\/p>\n But while \u201cDamned\u201d is brilliantly written on a sentence level, the novel\u2019s story and progression might make you scratch your head and wonder if you skipped a beat. There is a clear arc throughout the novel, as Madison tries to figure out the true cause of her death and the reasoning behind her presence in hell, but what surrounds that through line is a series of choppy adventures that don\u2019t necessarily relate to one another.<\/p>\n The novel repeats itself in two ways. The first is by repeating sentence structures such as \u201cAre you there, Satan? It\u2019s me, Madison,\u201d which appears at the opening of every chapter. There are also repeated observations about life, Hell and Heaven, such as \u201cwhat makes life feel like Hell is our expectation that it should last forever,\u201d variations of which can be found peppered everywhere.<\/p>\n The second type of repetition feels much less intentional and much less effective. Many of Maddy\u2019s memories of her parents and life are similar to one another plot-wise or serve to reveal the same thesis: their neglect, unabashed privilege and self-centrism lead to ruin. Unlike the novel\u2019s linguistic repetitiveness, this recurring idea does not create a sense of style nor benefits the novel\u2019s development. The point Palahniuk makes begins to fade in its intensity the more he makes it. Cutting some of these memories would have helped elevate the importance of each of the remaining ones.<\/p>\n An interesting aspect of the novel is people\u2019s ability to develop and change after death.<\/p>\n Maddy lived a short life of 13 years on Earth, but she gets to live an eternity in Hell. That eternity sees her gaining confidence in herself, learning about the world she used to live in as well as the world she lives in now, discovering her true circumstances both on Earth and in Hell, making friends, affecting souls on Earth and encouraging them to come join her in Hell, and even changing Hell\u2019s landscape.<\/p>\n Aside from Maddy, however, other characters do not get much development. Though insights into their past on Earth change Maddy\u2019s perception \u2014 and therefore the reader\u2019s perception \u2014 of their Breakfast Club stereotypes, the characters remain serving the sole function of these stereotypes: Babbette encourages Maddy to advocate for herself, Leonard expands Maddy\u2019s view of the world, Patterson enables Maddy to have fun, and Archer helps her gain the courage to escape a literal prison, as well as a figurative one of thought.<\/p>\n \u201cDamned\u201d does not allow its full cast of characters to have transformative arcs. But, at least regarding Maddy, it is definitely not a static novel. Within its universe, it begs the question: Can death actually free you?<\/p>\n Maddy\u2019s first journey with her friends is a jailbreak and an exploration of Hell\u2019s terrain. Moving on from there, suddenly Maddy works in Hell\u2019s telemarketing department, where she ends up convincing lonely souls to make their way to Hell.<\/p>\n Then, out of nowhere (spoiler alert), Maddy goes to become Hell\u2019s new dictator after brutalizing the likes of Hitler (collecting his mustache as a souvenir) and gathering their followers under her new ruling wing. Maddy\u2019s final adventure is a return to earth on All Hallows Eve and a face-to-face meeting with Satan where he (massive spoiler alert!) reveals to her that she\u2019s just a character in his book.<\/p>\n The non-existent relation between Maddy\u2019s adventures creates the sense that, as a reader, you\u2019re constantly missing some piece of information. Instead of getting excited to continue reading the book, you might just be confused.<\/p>\n Nevertheless, \u201cDamned\u201d does keep up with its promise to reveal Maddy\u2019s true cause of death and the reasoning behind her presence in Hell, and that part remains consistent and satisfying.<\/p>\n Palahniuk is known for being upfront and crude in his writing, and oftentimes that works well for the stories he tells. \u201cDamned\u201d is no different in that regard, except many of the shocking moments in \u201cDamned\u201d seem to not carry any meaning in them. They are there for the sole value of shocking the reader with the use of slurs, excessive gore and sexual descriptions, and off-hand snarky comments about Western society at large that offer little insight into people\u2019s lives. These might leave a bitter taste in your mouth while reading.<\/p>\n\u2018Damned\u2019 Summary: Tween Telemarketers in Hell<\/h2>\n
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Audience and Genre: Speculative Fiction for Gore Lovers and Those Intrigued by The Afterlife<\/h2>\n
Perspective: A First-Person Account of Hell, Written in Letters to Satan<\/h2>\n
Three Cs: Compelling, Clear, Concise<\/h2>\n
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Compelling: An Attractive Idea With Tiresome Execution<\/h3>\n
Clear: The Prose Flows, The Story Does Not<\/h3>\n
Concise: Repetitive Style Only Goes So Far<\/h3>\n
Character Development: The Freedom of Death, and an Underdeveloped Cast of Characters<\/h2>\n
Story: An Inconsistent Narrative<\/h2>\n
Prose Style: Shocking for Shock Value<\/h2>\n
Setting: Hell is a Vast Landscape<\/h2>\n