Diary

A Novel

By: Chuck Palahniuk

Narrated by: Martha Plimpton

Length: 7 hrs and 47 mins

Publisher's summary

Diary takes the form of a "coma diary" kept by one Misty Tracy Wilmot as her husband lies senseless in a hospital after a suicide attempt. Once she was an art student dreaming of creativity and freedom; now, after marrying Peter at school and being brought back to once quaint, now tourist-overrun Waytansea Island, she's been reduced to the condition of a resort hotel maid. Peter, it turns out, has been hiding rooms in houses he's remodeled and scrawling vile messages all over the walls - an old habit of builders but dramatically overdone in Peter's case. Angry homeowners are suing left and right, and Misty's dreams of artistic greatness are in ashes. But then, as if possessed by the spirit of Maura Kinkaid, a fabled Waytansea artist of the nineteenth century, Misty begins painting again, compulsively. But can her newly discovered talent be part of a larger, darker plan? Of course it can...

Diary is a dark, hilarious, and poignant act of storytelling from America's favorite, most inventive nihilist.

©2003 Chuck Palahniuk (P)2003 Random House, Inc. Random House AudioBooks, A Division of Random House, Inc.

Critic reviews

"...[the author's] last minute switching of gears...can turn a darkly ominous story into a source of heart-tugging inspiration." (The New York Times)
"A creative, unusual tale...the story is fresh." (Publishers Weekly)

Interesting

…to say the least
I’ve always known Chuck was a peculiar author, but this one is a new level of creepy. I do enjoy the underlying message, however.

It's slow until the moment you can't stop

It took me 5 months to get through the first 4 chapters and 2 days to get through the last 3. Huge Chuck Palahniuk fan and this may be my favorite of his I've read so far. You don't know what the story is really about until over halfway through then it all comes together and I love that. Brilliant piece of literature, I hope it survives for generations.

Classic Chuck!

A short story, but just long enough. Lots of fun to listen to. Well read.

I am just a fan of CP

I always have a good time with CP's novels! This one was no different. On to the next one!

Wow. Just...wow.

This is my second Chuck Palahniuk book, and I was not disappointed. This is the story of a woman who grew up in a trailer park in Georgia and ended up on an island in New England. She was destined to be an artist, but that dream is long gone by the time we meet her. Now she is a (practically) single mother struggling to make it on an island full of old blood with no money. What used to be her husband lies comatose and she must now find a way to keep her daughter and mother-in-law alive. Meanwhile the other islanders, as broke as she is, keep looking to her to pick up her paints again. This is a supernatural book...I don't know that I'd call it a thriller per se, but it does have its moments. This one is definitely worth the time.

Martha Plimpton (I remember her from The Goonies, though you may know her from Raising Hope) does a fantastic job as our heroine; she captures her frustration, rage, exhaustion, and even hope beautifully. She was an excellent choice for narrator of this book.

I love this book and I love Chuck

the first time I ever heard of Chuck was when the Fight Club movie came out I thought I need to know everything this guy writes. I then read Choke, Survivor, invisible monsters, lullaby, and now I've read Diary. Well technically I didn't read Diary I listened to Diary, but you get what I'm saying. very well delivered by Martha Plimpton I would recommend to anyone who asked

An artist's take

I loved this story. Darkly captures the feeling of being an artist in modern times.

What a trip!

While I must admit that I liked Chuck Palahniuk's "Lullaby" more, I was really drawn into this story - especially by Martha Plimpton's wonderful narration. I simply had to know what the heck was at the root of all the chaos. When all was revealed, I was fairly satisfied. Chuck Palahniuk is clearly one of the most creative (if not twisted) minds of my generation and I look forward to his next novel with great anticipation.

Very good

I am a big fan of Chuck Palahnuik and have read all his books on paperback, except for this one. I knew what to expect from his books, and this one does not let his fans down! The reader was really able to bring it to life and I could not be more pleased with her choice.

Entertaining, but not Chuck's best

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

Yes, I always enjoy looking through this author's eyes. This is not his best work, though.

Which character – as performed by Martha Plimpton – was your favorite?

No character in particular, but she did a great job at what must have been pretty challenging material to work with.

Did Diary inspire you to do anything?

Kill anybody wearing cheap costume jewelry...especially if they are from an island.

Any additional comments?

I always like Palahniuk's stuff, although my favorite will always be Lullaby. This one was entertaining and had some surreal, dark fantasy elements to it. It centers around the Diary a wife is keeping for her husband, who is in a coma...and she also decides to renew her pursuit of painting amidst small town, psycho weirdness.

It was a good read and included some of the author's trademark interesting social observations.