Haunted: Why A Chuck Palahniuk Story Made 73 People Faint

In Chuck Palahniuk’s novel, Haunted, there is a story that is so gruesome it has made 73 people faint at his readings—so far. Palahniuk began reading the story while on tour in 2003 and has kept track of the number of people who have passed out. Today, the story in question has become something of a legend.

Before the story was published in Palahniuk’s 2005 novel, Haunted, it became one of the author’s favorite to perform at readings. During his tour in 2003, he began to count the number of people who fainted from hearing the story. In 2004, the story was published in Playboy magazine’s March edition and rumors were soon circulating regarding its content. Palahnuik continued to read the story in the summer of 2004 to promote his nonfiction book, Stranger Than Fiction: True Stories. During that time, the tally of the number of fainters rose to 60. The story was then published in Haunted. The last reported fainting occurred on May 28, 2007, bringing the current total to 73 as of this writing.

The story is entitled “Guts”. “Guts” revolves around accidents involving masturbation, and it’s an unforgettable tale. Haunted is best known for including this story and the novel, which is really more of a short story collection, begins with it. In the book, a narrator named “Saint Gut-Free” tells the story, musing on how even though his parents knew about the things he’d done, they never speak about them. In the story, three different acts are described, one involving a carrot, another some candle wax, and the last one that causes his intestines to prolapse. Each one is described in gruesome detail and anyone familiar with the story knows why “Guts” has caused so many people to faint.

Why Chuck Palahniuk Continued To Read “Guts” On Tour

Chuck Palahniuk is an author who thrives on shock value. Every one of his books, including Fight Club, his debut novel, deals with odd factoids, weird twists, and disturbing moments. “Guts” became a hallmark representation of Palahniuk’s style, and given the reactions he was getting as people fainted, it’s no wonder he kept reading it for so many years. In many ways, it perfectly showcases the author’s twisted sense of humor.

Interestingly, all three of the acts that take place in “Guts” are based on real-world accounts from people Palahniuk spoke with. Palahniuk claims a friend of his told him about the first two acts. As for the final one—which is arguably the most shocking and disturbing—someone in a sex addiction group the author was shadowing while researching his novel Choke told him the story. Of course, now that “Guts” has become such a legendary story, people reading it today for the first time might not think it’s that extreme. However, Palahniuk is a great storyteller with a vivid imagination and a keen sense of social irony, and “Guts” is one of his most unforgettable tales to date.

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