Haunted

Pros

• I read it close to 20 years ago, and still remember it vividly. I loved it, but it’s certainly fucked up. It’s one of those books I read a handful of times. Probably my favorite of Palahniuk’s.
• Palahniuk’s Haunted, and any of his other short fiction is worth your time, arguably better than his novels
• To say it’s off the wall doesn’t do it justice. It’s probably the most bizarre story I’ve ever read. Tbh tho, “Guts” is the highlight.
• I think it’s one of his best works. It’s almost a collection of disturbing short stories which shed a light on the human condition strung together as an entertaining little story.
• Joyce Carol Oates’ *Zero-Sum, Haunted, The Collector of Hearts, The Museum of Dr. Moses,* and *Last Days.*

Cons

• The first story sets an amazing tone…. Only to be followed by absolutely boredom. IMO at least.
• For me, it was a couple good stories sprinkled into a boring book. The concept intrigued me, but the execution left me feeling super underwhelmed.
• The overarching story is really lackluster. In terms of writing, characters, pay-off. The setting is a good idea, and it's a little unfortunate that the short storys are woven around it. The short in themselves are enticing!
• It’s really an odd book that took me a while to get into the rhythm of. Very punchy, violent short stories that are strung together by a woozy meta device of a , sort of, haunted house.
• I have several others on my TBR like Black Tongue Thief, Hellbound Heart, Pet Sematary, and Haunted.