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What are readers saying about Pygmy?
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-12-28 11:52:19.
(Language: English)
 
To me the writing style was not so hard to understand because I'm used to talking to people whose first language is not English, but I could see how it might turn some people off.This book seemed more emotional to me than other books by Mr. Palahniuk, or maybe I was just more emotionally invested in these characters than I have been in others. Though it has its "shock moments", it didn't seem like the focus of the book was to gross you out or horrify you, like some of his other works. The ending seemed almost happy, so fans of Mr. Palahniuk might feel it isn't in his usual style. All that said, I really liked this book. 
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A Reader posted a review at 2010-04-10 04:57:16.
(Language: English)
The writing style is WAY TOO experimental. At first it was fun superimposing Borat's voice over the Pygmy's wording, but by the end it's practically a chore to read. Some of the scene's seem arbitrary in their over-the-top premises or outcome, and the satire gets completely lost in the absurdity. If you can get into the vocal rhythm of the narrator's voice, this can be a fun read. But, if you try to get into the substance you might end up tripping over the words.
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Chris posted a review at 2009-10-10 10:33:02.
(Language: English)
It might not be fair for me to rate this since I did not finish it. I got a short ways into it without being particularly impressed with the rather gimmicky narrative style of a secret operative with poor English skills. I quit when it got to a brutal rape scene described in minute detail and in a tone that celebrates this revenge scene. I've enjoyed other books by Mr. P, but this may be the last time I give him a try.
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-08-23 08:19:07.
(Language: English)
I'm not sure if this is my favorite, but still a very enjoyable read, and I appreciate some of the different things the author did with this book that he didn't do with his others. It took me a couple times to read some of the parts over as the story is told through the eyes of a foreign main character and everything he describes is through a broken English of sorts. Still very interesting and down right comical when you get some of the things he's trying to say.
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-05-31 08:25:30.
(Language: English)
The author of Fight Club crafts together a story about a foreign exchange student who comes to the US to be welcomed into only the best dysfunctional family an author could create. Only this exchange student has a secret - he's part of an elite group of child terrorists just waiting for the day when they can unleash mayhem. The whole book is written in broken English and you may find yourself reading a few lines over and over to try and piece meal the meaning--however, the way it's written and the view of this young man does peel back some ugly layers of the American dream--but damn it was funny!
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-08-23 11:31:19.
(Language: English)
Almost as bad as Snuff was. He actually had something interesting going at first but it quickly starts to deteriorate into shock tactics and formulaic patterns. I have no faith in Chuck Palahniuk anymore. He has talent but he just isn't trying anymore and hacks up a book once a year using the successful but played out formula he's been using since "Fight Club" to make some extra cash.
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-07-06 08:05:38.
(Language: English)
A very strange novel, but like all of Palahniuk's work, it has something to tell us about ourselves. The main character's flimsy grasp on American English highlights, sometimes painfully, the absurdity of suburban American life - it's materialism, xenophobia, animalistic rites of passage, and repression of sexual energies - but at the same time presents these things as redeeming qualities as well. All in all, a very unique and interesting perspective on the United States through the eyes of a young 'terrorist'. Palahniuk has once again found a way to make the ordinary seem extraordinary.
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A Reader posted a review at 2010-08-09 08:16:49.
(Language: English)
Not one of Palahniuk's better outings. The narrator's dialect was too hard for me to actually follow it and I wound up giving up, unfortunately. I usually love his characters and the twists but this Pygmy was that type of book where it's obstacles outweigh the amount of effort I could put in. Tell-All is still a fun premise I hope to enjoy.
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A Reader posted a review at 2010-03-28 11:36:26.
(Language: English)
Rarely do I not finish a book, but this book is such a tremendous pile of shit! If you think it is annoying when you read someone's broken English, just imagine someone pretending to write in broken English. It was beyond painful. It was just complete shit. I don't know how someone could write this, and then read it and say "hey, this is good, I should publish this!" And then...for a publisher to read it and say the same thing! UGH, God...just so bad.
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-12-18 01:37:19.
(Language: English)
Got to give originality points for the broken english thoughout and the fun way that translates the experience of Junior Show Choir in an American public school. This was a disturbing read because it makes you think too hard about whether anything about humanity is ever worth a damn. Regardless it's a perfect example of the discontent that is spawned by living a life that is too caught up in serving our cultural institutions rather than simply enjoying being alive.
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-06-11 09:34:02.
(Language: English)
"Begins here first account of operative me..." This book takes a few chapters to adapt to the broken English of the main character, Pygmy. After the third chapter, I found myself understanding more and questioning the language less. Either Pygmy is getting better at his English or I adapted to his pattern. More likely, a little of both. The book is exciting, gross, hilarious, and fun. The characters are vivid and their actions are almost cartoonish. It is a satire against America, but also against terrorism. Is this book for everyone? NO! A lot of people won't like the style. Chuck dedicates the book to Amy Hempel, which is no surprise. Check her out if you aren't familiar with her work. PYGMY is like Hempel's writing, but more in your face. I recommend this book to anyone who has read all of Palahniuk's work. If you are new to Chuck, start somewhere else. You will probably find the book frustrating and repetitive.
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-06-20 06:00:52.
(Language: English)
Do you remember how in high school you had to read Shakespeare and it was really hard but the longer you stuck with it the easier it got? Well this book is like that but without the poetry. Add in relentless sexual/masturbatory/reproductive assaults which were frankly tedious to this fifty-something mother of three. Been there, done that, got the tee shirt AND the coffee mug. Then, there's the underlying psychodrama of the adolescent terrorists, which, I'm sorry, I could see where that was going the whole time, but which was still the very best thing about this book. The ultimate triumph of love and the blundering, chaotic, flawed, goofy, narcissistic, overindulgent American Way! Booya!
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-08-19 04:03:02.
(Language: English)
I tried to get past the broken English, and it did seem to get easier to read if I read consistently. Though, I couldn't help but wonder if I really WANTED to get used to reading things incorrectly. I felt like I was losing IQ points. BUT I love Palahniuk so I kept reading. I finally gave up around page 40. Not so much because of the hard to understand language, but because of the graphic unnecessary situations. I understand fully that Chuck's style is twisted and sick, but this book made me feel like he was just going for shock value. I felt like he was trying to appeal to a younger, more curious and sick crowd. Personally I think Haunted was the most disturbing book but he presented it in a way that made you feel like you were learning something by reading it. I just didn't feel that this book was benefiting me in anyway. Certainly not Chuck's best work.
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A Reader posted a review at 2010-01-20 06:24:05.
(Language: English)
I don't know that I would suggest this read to anyone I know at current. It's not easy to digest, given his "broken English with purpose" style of writing in this story. There's probably an underlying lesson that I missed, regarding "western culture" and world opinion of the US. Additionally, I'll admit I skimmed over the military jargon chapters. All in all, it was a page turner, but only in so much as you want to try and figure out what the hell is going on. The ending leaves you with somewhat of an "eh.. what the..?" feeling.
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A Reader posted a review at 2010-05-29 03:36:57.
(Language: English)
There's shock rock, shock art, and this must be shock fiction. I can't remember how many times I had to put down this book and think to myself, "did he really write that?!?!" Don't get me wrong, this is a complement in the world of boring fictions. The ending was so-so, but the rollercoaster of a storyline made it SO worth it.
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-08-22 05:28:29.
(Language: English)
My first Palahniuk book. It came up as a recommentation for me on amazon (due to my politics, I'm guessing) I've been told this is NOT the best Palahniuk work to start with. I'm giving one star because I enjoyed the challenge of deciphering the pidgin english- both heart-wrenching & hilarious at times. I pushed my way through the shock-value (very disturbing at times) in hopes of a redemptive conclusion. I was disappointed. Sadly, looking back I must say that the fascinating writing did not make up for the lack of substance.
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-08-08 07:18:02.
(Language: English)
I really enjoy quirky, offbeat, imaginative novels, and am a pretty big Pahlahniuk fan ("Haunted" is one of my favorite books of all time) but "Pygmy"...I dunno...If you're going to write a book entirely comprised in pidgin English, you better have a great payoff ending, have something meaningful to say, or anything at all to make me buy the conceit of not writing the story in conventional English. The titular Pygmy, a 7th grader sent over to the USA by a third world country in a student exchange program (ostensibly to commit a mass murder terrorist act, and to impregnate girls and bugger boys) overstays his welcome about 30 pages into this 240-page yuck fest. Chuck, ya "choked" on this one, my friend.
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Sab posted a review at 2009-06-23 07:42:41.
(Language: English)
I kinda fell in love with lil pygmy. People complained that this writing style was difficult to understand but it eventually got easier (Especially for me, my mother is a Filipino...she sounds like this everyday). It was refreshing/entertaining to see normal, everyday things described the way they were in the book by pygmy. I liked the story and pygmy's journey throughout the book. He discovers that he's not just an operative, he's a person of value who wants to love and be loved. I really liked this one. Nice job once again Chuck.
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-05-20 01:31:31.
(Language: English)
He's disenchanted with American capitalism and greed, we get it. Aside from the fact that it's a first person narrative told from the perspective of a terrorist who can only create fragmented, disjointed, and completely frustrating prose, this book adds nothing new to Chuck's arsenal. He throws in the usual sexual deviance that is seen in every novel, and this time its at a teenage level. I think he has some seriously repressed sex issues of his own. Not a fan of this one. Haunted said it better, and in a much more interesting setting.
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-05-22 04:14:45.
(Language: English)
I was really hoping for this book to bring about a return to the Palahniuk that I used to love and enjoy. With Haunted though, everything has seemed to go down hill. The premise of the book was a great one, but the whole time I felt like it was rushed and way too short. Too much was cut out and because of it, the ending seemed way to rushed. I still love his writing style aside from this novel. It was really hard to read through broken English. This was the first novel of his I had no problem putting down but had a hard time picking back up.
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-05-23 10:37:16.
(Language: English)
I was convinced this was better than Snuff until i got to the end.Now I'm not so sure.Palahniuk does have good ideas,unfortunetly he fails to pull them off.You never care about any of his characters at all,and i am kind of tired of all the weird little facts or quotes he feels need to be thrown in every chapter.I really want to like his books,but i am getting bored with them.
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Jay posted a review at 2009-09-22 07:35:09.
(Language: English)
Interesting take on the English language as understood by a learned young terrorist. Listener me audiobook patron receive aural talk crazy project device playback of electronic across room blamblam. But when you get used to the sound and rhythm of the prose, it's almost poetic. I'd like to see this "treatment" of language on a plot that isn't quite as outlandish. This one ended up too far over the top, but was enjoyable.
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-11-15 02:49:59.
(Language: English)
Through the eyes, narration of a terrorist exchange student to America. Pygmy hates America and makes funny, interesting, dark, satirical observations of certain aspects of our society that will get you thinking. Dark, sadistic, but enjoyably so. Got to have an open mind reading this one, especially with the way it is written but the broken, but also loquacious, narration helps to get you inside the mind of operative Pygmy. Not for everyone, but some will find it interesting and an enjoyable read.
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A Reader posted a review at 2010-03-05 03:11:04.
(Language: English)
Palahniuk has a unique talent for exposing the insanity of our everyday world from the point of view of a twisted individual who seems to have the best grip on reality. He uses a ton of literary devises that his readers have seen many times before (repeating phrases, not giving characters "names") so at times it felt stale, like I had read it before. However, the reason that I know about all of his tricks is that I like how he uses them to tell his twisted stories. Its no Fight Club but if you liked it, Pygmy is worth a read.
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A Reader posted a review at 2010-01-29 01:30:39.
(Language: English)
While attempting to distance myself from an explosive argument with a dear friend I picked up this book on reflex and began avidly deconstructing the book cover. When the ploy didn’t progress as hoped I opted for a far more subtle approach of reading it and ignoring the baited questions that would invariably pull me back into a bottomless pit of name calling childish muck. Unlike my first attempt this plan worked! Fed up and itching for conflict my friend soon found themselves stalking about the book aisles looking for their own source of distraction. What followed soon after was the most confusing five minutes ever squandered on a book being read out of spite. Unfortunately I didn't purchase the book. After all signs pointed toward normalcy I respectfully placed the book back on its respective shelf and resumed my hypothetical civility. Cut to four months later I'm screwing about in the library trying to find a source of literary sustenance when I recalled the curious toy soldier wielding a copy of the infamous ‘little red book’. That image coupled with the curious desire to see how that odd ball case of 'pedophilia in reverse' rape scene ended prompted me to read the book non stop into the next day. Long story not so short the book is a bit tricky in the beginning. It reads in the same fashion as clockwork orange. In the sense that the narrative is butchered by a (no pun intended) foreign grammar that takes you into a region of pragmatic competence. You look at the words and it’s complete nonsense. And then you read then a second time and it makes perfect sense. You begin to speak the language of the book itself, as the sentences create provocative new ways to see everyday occurrences. A door being shut is now 'healed', and so forth. One of my favorite touches is the main character commonly referred to as Pygmy, does not actually have a name. He is identified only with his intense emotions which he inflicts in secret on every other character. Every chapter begins with an affirmation of his selfless-ness. He is operative (insert number here). This act at once makes him the enemy, something to be feared and extinguished as well as a non thing to be pitied and assisted. His lack of self makes him that much more identifiable. Even if the little self he renders combats this assertion at every turn. End point. Read the book. I likey.
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