Lost in all the brouhaha about Laura Miller’s motives/karma/intentions with her scathing, but superficial, review of Chuck Palahniuk’s latest book, Diary, is the fact that the novel just isn’t very good. Not as bad as Choke, but in no way compelling or worthy of half the ink and bad-blood that is being spilled. Palahniuk looks to this reader like a magician with only one trick– he’s found a kind of voice he likes and he thinks that’s all there is to it– who is heading straight for retirement. It’s unfair to expect him to do something completely new with every book– doing it once, as he has, is enough. But he needs to do something different from what he has already done! That’s not asking too much.

I do find it rather incredible that so many of those who disagree take up the “then why is he so popular” argument. Unless they are willing to stand and hold hands with Kenny G, Tom Clancy, Thomas Kinkade, and the rest, then they really should let that whole line of reasoning go.