Review By Gabrielle

Chuck is back with another novel that packs a punch with Shock Induction.

Favourite Quote:

You’re holding a book.

Listen.

You’re holding a book bound in leather the color of peanut butter. Printed on the cover are the words Your Practical Guide to Greener Pastures. The pages within explain that Greener Pastures is a placement service. A shadowy organization, it monitors standardized testing to identify the most promising children of every generation. These children are followed through every moment of their young lives, and as they reach young adulthood Greener Pastures offers them leading roles in the world. 

Goodreads Synopsis: 

In Shock Induction, the best and brightest students at a seemingly reputable high school are disappearing. Every day it seems another overachiever is lost to an apparent suicide. But something far more sinister is lurking beneath the surface. These kids have been under surveillance since birth, monitored and measured by an online service called “Greener Pastures.” It’s here, in Greener Pastures, that billionaires observe and recruit the next generation of talent. The highest test scores, the best grades, and the most niche extracurriculars just might land these teenagers an enticing offer at auction. A couple billion dollars in exchange for the remainder of your life and intellectual labor sounds like a pretty fair deal—doesn’t it? In a high school only Chuck Palahniuk could imagine, students must choose between the risk of following their dreams or the security of money and a lifetime of servitude to the world’s wealthiest and most elite—but how much of a choice do they truly have?

No one picking up a book by Chuck Palahniuk should be able to claim they are shocked. This time, he even put it in the title. And yet, here I am. The famed author of Fight Club needs no introduction. His reputation as modern literature’s premier provocateur is well-known; I knew what I was getting into. And that’s what I love about him—he always finds new ways to unsettle and enlighten me. Reading one of his books is almost always an uncomfortable experience, and I mean that in the best possible way. Buckle up because this one is quite the journey.

We follow the journey of teenager Samantha Deel as she is recruited to Greener Pastures. In exchange for her life, she will be placed in a top-ranking position in the world—one that offers her security and wealth and will lift her family out of poverty. Is the cost worth it?

Like his earlier works, Shock Induction navigates the thin line between madness and genius. For a lot of it, you don’t know what is real and what is not. His signature staccato prose style backs readers into an odd mental state, almost like you are being hypnotized simply by reading. This pairs well with the plot where corporations are poisoning books with addictive drugs to get us hooked on reading and numb to political unrest. It’s a spooky experience that I enjoyed. Readers will find themselves questioning their own perceptions as the line between treatment and torture, healer and patient, becomes increasingly blurred.

Beneath the surface-level shock value – and yes, there are plenty of grotesque moments that will satisfy longtime fans – lies a surprisingly tender core. Chuck explores healing, personal responsibility, and the nature of consciousness itself. Literary fans will delight in the numerous nods to great works of fiction sprinkled throughout, like Easter eggs.

Even after decades of pushing boundaries, Chuck proves he can still deliver a punch.

Thank you, Simon & Schuster for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.