Pygmy is classic Palahniuk. From the unnamed narrator to the repetition of key phrases, you'll find his numerous conventions in this book. So if you're a Chuck Palahniuk fan, you'll love this book. The end. If not...Pygmy follows the exploits of a young "Agent Number 67," a teenage foreign exchange student from a nameless, communist, totalitarian regime (think North Korea meets Vietnam meets China meets Cuba). As a foreign agent, the narrator speaks in a very broken form of English, and it takes a few chapters to become acclimated to it. Honestly, it reminded me of the first time I read Huckleberry Finn. This was the cause of some early frustration, but by three or four chapters into it, I didn't even notice. After that, it was the source of some of the funniest moments in the book, as his descriptions of what he sees and interacts with in America are sometimes humorous and often hilarious.
Once you get past the language barrier, the story follows young Pygmy and his fellow operatives as they infiltrate a cookie-cutter copy of a Mid-Western American town and the families that occupy it. Perhaps the greatest thing about Pygmy is that the character development is flawless (again, classic Palahniuk), and the sprinkles of short chapters that explore the narrator's past training and brainwashing quickly became my favorite, as they brought to life a soulless communist state and revealed the drive behind Pygmy's actions.Pygmy is a good book in the classic Palahniuk style, but the language barrier and the rushed ending kept it from being my favorite book by a great author.
3.5/5 Stars
Disclaimer: There is a gruesome rape scene at the beginning of the book that may bother some, and since it is pivotal to many of the plot elements, it is mentioned throughout the book.
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