Snuff said.

The next look back is of a book that many probably won't have heard of. It's author, Chuck Palahniuk, is more famous for his novel, turned cult movie favorite,  "Fight Club", but his CV is full of many strange and dark novels.

Chuck Palahniuk's newest novel 'Snuff' is firmly located in the grotesque, defined in the OED as (1) comically or repulsively distorted (2) incongruous; absurd. Palahniuk alone is capable of setting a story around a world record breaking gangbang, and keeping the tone only mildly sexual, focusing instead on the dark humor of the situation at hand. 'Snuff' is narrated by four characters participating in the sex film aimed at being the last, and most spectacular record setting sex act ever. In Palahniuk's other books the characters are all fully fleshed and believable, each one having some mental or emotional instability which allows the reader to connect with them. In 'Snuff' the characters seem to be very shallowly created, to the point of Pastiche.
Mr. 600-Branch Bacardi-is the stereotypical ancient male porn actor; he is hoping to resurrect his career with this film. He judges everyone by their tan, Acapulco vs. San Diego, and is surrounded by TVs showing him and Cassie (the star of the show) in many of their previous films; including Blow Jobs of Madison County, The Da Vinci Load, and To Drill a Mocking Bird. He is the leather skinned, loose waisted, wrinkle covered version of the handsome man on screen, so changed he doesn't even recognize himself. Mr. 137, the washed up TV star whose show has been cancelled because of rumors of homosexuality. He figures if he's seen in heterosexual porn his reputation will be cleared. From him we learn all about Cassie's movie career, and learn that he is obsessed with her in a purely aesthetic way. His real desire is hidden away in his closet along with the life like dildo molded from the perfectly proportioned Branch Bacardi erection. Mr.72, the youngest participant we meet is hoping to lose his virginity to Cassie, we think. To him she's the perfect woman, and we begin to see oedipal tendencies that would put even Freud on edge. Finally there is Sheila, the only female narrator. She is Cassie's assistant and allows us our only insight Cassie's state of mind. Sheila finds men ridiculous in general; this is most obvious by her continual reference to men with hilarious euphemisms for masturbation, Hoagie Honker being my all time favorite. She is the brains behind the whole operation, yet continually ridicules it at the same time. Don't be fooled by her seemingly innocent appearance, she has a dark secret driving her actions, just like every other character we meet.
The dark humor that Palahniuk is so known for is rampant in this novel, but without the intensely real characters to bolster the plot it simply doesn't compare to his earlier work. Although I must admit it is worth reading simply to find all of the hilarious ways Palahniuk comes up with for saying, well, Palm Pilots or Bacon Banger, these are laugh out loud funny even if the novel itself falls short.