Pygmy: The Latest from Chuck Palahniuk

The latest fiction bestseller from renowned Fight Club author Chuck Palahniuk is Pygmy. After many fans were disappointed with his previous release, Snuff, Palahniuk needed to come back with something that really struck the right notes with his audience. With Pygmy, he managed to push the envelope once again, by trying something completely unique while conveying his same cynical, twisted view of society.

Palahniuk isn't averse to trying something new. Of course in Fight Club, the book is narrated by a character whose name we never know, and whose mind is divided between two alter egos. In Rant, Palahniuk presents his story in the form of an oral biography, with different characters relaying their memories and recollections of events.

In Pygmy, Palahniuk presents his story in the form of a journal or diary kept by the lead character, with each chapter being called a "dispatch". A dispatch of what you ask? A dispatch of the events of some form of undercover operative sent to the United States from a foreign land. A foreign land ruled by a dictatorial government that's hell bent on destroying America, her people and all Western ideals.

The main character, posing as a child coming to the United States in somewhat of an exchange student program, takes on the nickname of Pygmy. Officially, he's only known as Agent 67, and he's one of a dozen or so undercover operatives sent to the heart of America to help bring down the country from the inside with an elaborate sinister plot.

The most unique element of the book is how the diary reads. Agent 67, while a highly trained undercover operative from a sinister land, is also a child whose native language is far from English. So the journal reads as a pseudo-fluent English speaker would say it. It takes a few chapters to get used to, but once you get your bearings it won't be difficult to continue reading.

Each dispatch is a chronological step in Pygmy's journey in the United States, interspersed with some recollections from his earlier days, including his training. Every chapter also features a quote from a famous dictator that relates to the action of that particular scene.

Pygmy, raised to hate the United States and love everything tyrannical and dictatorial, refers to these dictators ranging from Stalin to Mussolini to Hitler with various terms showing his deference to them, such as benevolent father, much respected teacher and so forth.

The book is also filled with Pygmy's aspirations to unleash his highly tuned martial arts training on the masses. After years of intense hand to hand combat training, Pygmy is armed with innumerable techniques to break limbs, dismember body parts and kill the enemy. Jean-Claude Van Damme only wishes he had moves like these: the "Flying Giant Stork Death Kick", the "Barracuda Deadly Eye Gouge", the "Striking Cobra Quick Kill" and the "Whirling Wolverwine" to name just a handful of many.

The story itself is filled with all of the usual unexpected Palahniuk twists. He certainly doesn't shy away from setting up a shocking scene or using extremely graphic imagery and language to get his point across. But the book also weaves its way through many important social and cultural issues, such as religion, the power of government, consumerism, morality and much more.

For fans of Chuck Palahniuk, Pygmy is a must read, and may be his best work since the groundbreaking Fight Club. If you've never read Palahniuk, you'll be in for a thrill ride, but you'll come away with a thorough introduction to one of the best current American novelists and cultural commentators.