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The Invention of Sound cover art

The Invention of Sound

Written by: Chuck Palahniuk
Narrated by: Jefferson Mays
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Publisher's Summary

A father searching for his missing daughter is suddenly given hope when a major clue is discovered, but learning the truth could shatter the seemingly perfect image Hollywood is desperate to uphold.

Gates Foster lost his daughter, Lucy, 17 years ago. He's never stopped searching. Suddenly, a shocking new development provides Foster with his first major lead in over a decade, and he may finally be on the verge of discovering the awful truth.

Meanwhile, Mitzi Ives has carved out a space among the Foley artists creating the immersive sounds giving Hollywood films their authenticity. Using the same secret techniques as her father before her, she's become an industry-leading expert in the sound of violence and horror, creating screams so bone-chilling, they may as well be real.

Soon Foster and Ives find themselves on a collision course that threatens to expose the violence hidden beneath Hollywood's glamorous façade. A grim and disturbing reflection on the commodification of suffering and the dangerous power of art, The Invention of Sound is Chuck Palahniuk at the peak of his literary powers - his most suspenseful, most daring, and most genre-defying work yet.

©2020 Chuck Palahniuk (P)2020 Hachette Audio

What the critics say

"This dark, humorous tale sparkles with the inventive details - including a scream powerful enough to crumble buildings - and provocative insights on the 'commodification of pain' and what it means to turn 'people's basic humanity into something that could be bought and sold.' The result is a wry, devilish delight." (Publishers Weekly)

"Palahniuk expertly balances skewering of cultural institutions with profound insights into the nature of authenticity and the myriad ways we become damaged. The sheer abundance of creative ideas buoyed aloft by the vibrancy of the prose signal a master storyteller energized by delight in his own ingenuity....After his foray into literary advice, Consider This (2020), Palahniuk's heralded return to fiction will galvanize his many avid readers." (Booklist)

What listeners say about The Invention of Sound

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    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Unresolved

Great narration as usual by Jefferson Mays, but the story seemed a little too vague, like it was a barely fleshed out outline. It started great but the ending just kind of trailed off. Overall I enjoyed it but have so many unresolved questions...

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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Mediocre

Not figuratively, but literally, Chuck Palahniuk’s most mediocre story and writing. Feeling like he’s lost his magic.

Would not recommend.

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