Choke
Victor Mancini, a medical-school dropout, is an antihero for our deranged times. Needing to pay elder care for his mother, Victor has devised an ingenious scam: he pretends to choke on pieces of food while dining in upscale restaurants. He then allows himself to be "saved" by fellow patrons who, feeling responsible for Victor's life, go on to send checks to support him. When he's not pulling this stunt, Victor cruises sexual addiction recovery workshops for action, visits his addled mom, and spends his days working at a colonial theme park. His creator, Chuck Palahniuk, is the visionary we need and the satirist we deserve.From the Trade Paperback edition.
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Also by Chuck Palahniuk
What you might want to know about Choke
The questions readers send us most often, answered without spoilers.
Victor Mancini, a sex-addict and medical-school dropout, plays a Revolutionary-era costumed peasant by day and pretends to choke in restaurants by night so well-meaning strangers will pay his mother's hospital bills.
Choke is short and stylistically clear, but the content is provocative and deliberately offensive. Palahniuk's deadpan voice can be jarring. The book is more accessible than some of his later work.
Yes. A 2008 film adaptation directed by Clark Gregg and starring Sam Rockwell was released. The film follows the novel's premise of a sex addict who scams restaurant patrons.
Choke was written by Chuck Palahniuk, published in 2001 by Anchor.
Choke is 304 pages in standard print editions, though page counts vary slightly between hardcover, paperback, and large-print formats.
At an average reading pace of about 250 words per minute, Choke takes most readers 5 to 7 hours to finish.
Choke is a standalone novel by Chuck Palahniuk, not part of a series.
Choke is available in hardcover, paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats from Amazon, Bookshop.org, ThriftBooks, and most major bookstores.
