Damned (novel)

Damned (novel)
Damned  
Damned Palahniuk.jpg
Doubleday cover
Author(s) Chuck Palahniuk
Country United States
Language English
Publisher Jonathan Cape
Publication date September 1, 2011
Media type Print (Hardcover)
Pages 247
ISBN 978-0224091152
Preceded by Tell All

Damned is a 2011 novel by Chuck Palahniuk, which was published by Jonathan Cape (UK) on 1 September 2011, and published by Doubleday (US) on October 18, 2011[1][2][3]. The plot concerns Madison Spencer, a thirteen year old girl who finds herself in Hell, unsure of why she has been sent there for all eternity, but tries to make the best of it.

It is based on the structure of Judy Blume novels, particularly Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. The author has described the novel as "if The Shawshank Redemption had a baby by The Lovely Bones and it was raised by Judy Blume."[4] and "it's kind of like The Breakfast Club set in Hell."[5] Palahniuk said the novel was written as a way to deal with the death of his mother from breast cancer in 2009.[4][6]

The novel was met with a number of highly positive reviews following its publication.[7]


Plot

The novel opens with Madison "Maddy" Spencer waking in Hell, unsure of the details surrounding her death (she believes she has died of a Marijuana overdose). Maddy quickly gets to know her nearby cellmates. The group (loosely modeled on the character traits in "The Breakfast Club," ie. a rocker, a nerd, a beauty and a jock) take Maddy on a tour of Hell.

In Hell, Madison works as a telemarketer, calling the living during mealtimes and asking them to answer inane survey questions. Throughout the novel, we see Madison's interactions with the living as well as the dead as she tries to piece together the events surrounding her death, and figure out how best to cope with the idea of spending the rest of eternity in Hell.

References

  1. ^ http://suicidegirls.com/interviews/Chuck+Palahniuk%3A+Tell-All/
  2. ^ http://nymag.com/news/intelligencer/65901/
  3. ^ http://chuckpalahniuk.net/news/damned-gets-a-release-date-on-amazoncom
  4. ^ a b Doubleday's 'Tell-All' Q&A With Chuck Palahniuk
  5. ^ Chuck Palahniuk's keynote speech at the 2010 Muse and the Marketplace writers' conference (plus Q&A) [video] video by Grub Street - quote at 43:15
  6. ^ Chuck Palahniuk brings his book 'Tell-All' to Portsmouth
  7. ^ http://www.nyjournalofbooks.com/review/damned
v · d · eWorks by Chuck Palahniuk
Novels
Fight Club (1996) · Survivor (1999) · Invisible Monsters (1999) · Choke (2001) · Lullaby (2002) · Diary (2003) · Haunted (2005) · Rant (2007) · Snuff (2008) · Pygmy (2009) · Tell-All (2010) · Damned (2011)
Non-fiction
Fugitives and Refugees: A Walk in Portland, Oregon (2003) · Stranger Than Fiction: True Stories (2004)
Film adaptations
Fight Club (1999) · Choke (2008)


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