Carl Streator is a reporter investigating Sudden Infant Death Syndrome for a soft-news feature. After responding to several calls with paramedics, he notices that all the dead children were read the same poem from the same library book the night before they died. It's a 'culling song' - an ancient African spell for euthanizing sick or old people. Researching it, he meets a woman who killed her own child with it accidentally. He himself accidentally killed his own wife and child with the same poem twenty years earlier. Together, the man and the woman must find and destroy all copies of this book, and try not to kill every rude sonofabitch that gets in their way. Lullaby is a comedy/drama/tragedy. In that order. It may also be Chuck Palahniuk's best book yet. (20021018)
Lullaby: Roman (German Edition)
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Review
"There are more plot ideas in Chuck Palahniuk's Lullaby than some writers manage in a whole book" (Independent )
"Palahniuk starts with a throwaway thought - "what if words could hurt?" - and stretches it until it snaps" (Arena )
"A black comic cauldron bubbling with contagious ideas" (Time Out )
"Mr. Palahniuk further refines his ability to create parables that are as substantial as they are off-the-wall" (New York Times )
"This is vintage Palahniuk: weird, creepy, twisted, upsetting, and ultimately a great read" (Library Journal )
"Palahniuk starts with a throwaway thought - "what if words could hurt?" - and stretches it until it snaps" (Arena )
"A black comic cauldron bubbling with contagious ideas" (Time Out )
"Mr. Palahniuk further refines his ability to create parables that are as substantial as they are off-the-wall" (New York Times )
"This is vintage Palahniuk: weird, creepy, twisted, upsetting, and ultimately a great read" (Library Journal )
Book Description
'Probably the most entertaining-funny-fascinating book of the year' The Face
By the author of Fight Club
(20021018)
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
14 of 15 people found the following review helpful
By Matt Pucci
VINE™ VOICE
Format:Paperback
'The-guy-who-wrote-Fight-Club's fifth novel starts off intriguingly, based on the premise that words - specifically, a children's poem - have the power to kill. The story quickly mutates into a road trip/crusade, in which the central character and narrator, Carl Streator, attempts to destroy every copy of the poem, at the same time seeking redemption for his own wrongdoings. Aiding him in this quest is his new 'family': Helen - a ruthless real-estate agent who accidentally killed her own son Patrick with the same deadly poem some years prior - Helen's secretary, Mona, and Mona's eco-warrior boyfriend, Oyster. Streator is another one of Palahniuk's great antiheroes, in as far as he succumbs to the temptation of using the 'lullaby' for his own purposes; that is, to kill anyone who pisses him off. Palahniuk's genius lies in his ability to make this seem both scarily natural and blackly hilarious.
As with all his novels, Palahniuk succeeds in creating well-rounded characters that are both despicable and heart-breakingly human, at the same time delivering an unflinching narrative and a series of stark but thought-provoking observations on American society and the world at large. Though his observations and predictions are invariably bleak, they are wrapped in warped notions of love, romance and hope for the future, giving Lullaby a unique, refreshing twist.
Occasionally, Palahniuk does seem to be labouring the point with regards to the idea that words and music have become a disease of the mind. It is also worth noting that Lullaby is one of Chuck's more far-fetched novels, as he delves into the worlds of witch-craft and occupation spells, but, with a healthy suspension of disbelief, the reader should reach the final page of this strange and beautiful novel completely convinced of Palahniuk's fortitude as a master story-teller.
Matt Pucci
As with all his novels, Palahniuk succeeds in creating well-rounded characters that are both despicable and heart-breakingly human, at the same time delivering an unflinching narrative and a series of stark but thought-provoking observations on American society and the world at large. Though his observations and predictions are invariably bleak, they are wrapped in warped notions of love, romance and hope for the future, giving Lullaby a unique, refreshing twist.
Occasionally, Palahniuk does seem to be labouring the point with regards to the idea that words and music have become a disease of the mind. It is also worth noting that Lullaby is one of Chuck's more far-fetched novels, as he delves into the worlds of witch-craft and occupation spells, but, with a healthy suspension of disbelief, the reader should reach the final page of this strange and beautiful novel completely convinced of Palahniuk's fortitude as a master story-teller.
Matt Pucci
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By Jason Mills
VINE™ VOICE
Format:Paperback
Carl, our narrator is a reporter pursuing a story about crib death. He finds in a number of cases that the parents had read a particular lullaby to their babies prior to their deaths. It turns out that this rhyme is an ancient 'culling spell', and Carl finds he can use it to kill people at will, leaving no trace. The spell is also known to Helen Boyle, a realtor who specialises in repeatedly selling the same haunted houses. What they do with this lethal knowledge and how it changes their lives forms the bulk of the story.
The book is abuzz with ideas, every short chapter adding some lively new development to the mix. It comes to be about trying to find meaning in life, through the din of consumerist culture. (This chimes with my memory of themes in the movie Fight Club, based on another of Palahniuk's books.) It's funny, colourful, inventive, smart, sprinkled with interesting facts, and sometimes moving - though not for the faint-hearted. (Necrophilia anyone? Broken babies?) For all that, though I enjoyed and admired it, I wasn't gripped to the page.
The book is abuzz with ideas, every short chapter adding some lively new development to the mix. It comes to be about trying to find meaning in life, through the din of consumerist culture. (This chimes with my memory of themes in the movie Fight Club, based on another of Palahniuk's books.) It's funny, colourful, inventive, smart, sprinkled with interesting facts, and sometimes moving - though not for the faint-hearted. (Necrophilia anyone? Broken babies?) For all that, though I enjoyed and admired it, I wasn't gripped to the page.
12 of 14 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
I have read three of Chuck's books, and I started out with Lullaby. This is the book that made me want to read his other novels... and to finally get round to watching fightclub.
He's a truly excellent writer, though the style of Lullaby is certainly different to the other books. It's much more subtle than his previous novels, which is the beauty of it. He describes this poem, which when read aloud will kill people. The first instance is with cot death. It's an idea this simple that is chilling, especially for all those mothers out there. He describes the chaos that would rein if society ever found out about is, yet adds a dark humour to it.
I think Chuck is a fantastic writer with a great and refreshing style, he's certainly very gifted and probably sees and analyses much more than you and I ever think about.
It really is well worth the read, and if you've never read and of Chuck's work before then I would definitely pick the subtle chilling novel before moving on to the more complex plots. But they're all great, and you won't be disappointed.
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3.9 out of 5 stars
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
2.0 out of 5 stars
What a waste of time!
Can't believe I spent good money and time trawling through this warped tale. Characters undeveloped, many loopholes, disconnected narrative.. A creation of a sick and twisted mind.
Published 3 months ago by A Hong
5.0 out of 5 stars
great but simple
A brilliant book, classic Palahniuk. Definitely worth a read. Great addition to my Chuck Collection. Worth every single penny! five out of five!
Published 5 months ago by tomdineen
5.0 out of 5 stars
You really should own this
It's hard to chose between `Choke' and `Lullaby' for my favourite Chuck Palahniuk novel. Has all the distinct Palahniuk wit and voice of his best work and a storyline that'll keep... Read more
Published 5 months ago by Frankie Boy Smith
5.0 out of 5 stars
Lullabye
Brilliant book! Definitely recognisable as Chuck's writing in the extremes and the thoughts that he allows his characters to think. Read more
Published 8 months ago by Ms. V. Burns
4.0 out of 5 stars
alright
the book came a bit later than others that i ordered the same day, but it wasn't too late. The cover was torn away, not making me happy as i intended to give a book to a friend as... Read more
Published 18 months ago by krekra
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good work Chuck
This was the fourth Palahniuk book that I have read this year since starting with the obligatory Fight Club and have enjoyed every single one. Read more
Published 18 months ago by Law
5.0 out of 5 stars
Does It Again
"LULLABY" by Chuck Palahniuk
There are many rumours about Chuck Palahniuk. That he lives alone. That's he's secretly been married for eight years. Read more
There are many rumours about Chuck Palahniuk. That he lives alone. That's he's secretly been married for eight years. Read more
Published on 17 Oct 2010 by Mr. M. A. Reed
4.0 out of 5 stars
A bit bonkers ... but in a good way
The idea of being able to kill with nothing more than thoughts is an unlikely vehicle for such a funny story, but it really works. Read more
Published on 24 May 2010 by M. Hind
2.0 out of 5 stars
Not the best
Lullaby is really quite similar to a few of Palahniuk's books.
They all start off with a great idea and run with it completely, at no point does it stop or limit itself... Read more
They all start off with a great idea and run with it completely, at no point does it stop or limit itself... Read more
Published on 21 May 2010 by F. Wight
2.0 out of 5 stars
Like Harry Potter without his morning cup of tea
This book starts out very promising but the ideas Palahniuk works with are not developed enough to keep the story interesting. Read more
Published on 23 Jun 2009 by J. Stevens
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