Book Review: Damned by Chuck Palahniuk

Book Review:  Damned, by Chuck Palahniuk

For those of you that are not familiar with Chuck Palahniuk, he's the guy who wrote Fight Club.  Yes, it was a book long before Edward Norton and Brad Pitt teamed up to tell you the first two rules of Fight Club.  If you still don't know what I'm talking about, read the book.  If you're a man, it will change your life.  If you're a woman, well, don't be a Marla.
Damned is told from the point of view of Madison Spencer, the awkward but intelligent offspring of a mega rich Hollywood couple.  The story begins with Madison finding herself dead and in Hell after a marijuana overdose.  Very little, it seems, is enough to get you thrown into hell.  Jaywalking, or wearing white after Labor Day will do the trick.  For Madison though, Hell isn't merely a destination.  It is a journey all its own.
Accompanied by Hell's version of the Breakfast club, Madison makes her way across the landscape of Hell, around the Sea of Insects, across the Desert of Broken Glass and avoiding the Swamp of Partial Birth Abortions.  As if these things weren't bad enough, The English Patient plays on an endless loop for all eternity to torture the souls of the damned.
Damned is probably Palahniuk's best work since Invisible Monsters.  If you liked the show Dead Like Me, you will most likely enjoy Damned.  It is the story of a girl who has to die in order to learn how to live.  Pick this one up.  It's worth the read!

Rating:   Four and half out of five coffee beans!