The Visible Man

A Novel

By: Chuck Klosterman

Narrated by: Annabella Sciorra, Scott Shepherd

Austin, Texas. Therapist Victoria Vick is contacted by a cryptic, unlikable man who insists his situation is unique and unfathomable. As he slowly reveals himself, Vick becomes convinced that he suffers from a complex set of delusions: Y__, as she refers to him, claims to be a scientist who has stolen cloaking technology from an aborted government project in order to render himself nearly invisible. He says he uses this ability to observe random individuals within their daily lives, usually when they are alone and vulnerable. Unsure of his motives or honesty, Vick becomes obsessed with her patient and the disclosure of his increasingly bizarre and disturbing tales. Over time, it threatens her career, her marriage, and her own identity.

Interspersed with notes, correspondence, and transcriptions that catalog a relationship based on curiosity and fear, The Visible Man touches on all of Chuck Klosterman’s favorite themes: the consequence of culture, the influence of media, the complexity of voyeurism, and the existential contradiction of normalcy. Is this comedy, criticism, or horror? Not even Y__ seems to know for sure.

©2011 Chuck Klosterman (P)2011 Simon & Schuster, Inc.

Timeless Concept, Modern Telling

The most interesting thing about this work is not the "invisible man" trope at all, it's the sociological bent - the sardonic and cynical but painfully accurate descriptions of everyday life that our antagonist tells his therapist about the people he's watched. There are some beautiful misanthropic hooks to the character and his observations of us when we are, we think, alone.

A Visible Masterpiece

With a voracious pacing and deft hand Klosterman delivers a surprising story full of his love of pop culture, his critique of importance, questions about the nature of man, and genuine thrills. As I began I thought I knew where the words were leading, and then Klosterman changed the game. As I continued I thought I knew what was coming next, and got thrown again. to the very end I couldn't predict the next line. This was a joy, and I can't wait to experience it again.

An engaging - and very disturbing - story...

I still don't know what to think about this book. I think there is a psychological/social message in here, but I didn't get it. Perhaps one has to understand the nature of therapy to understand what either of the main characters were intending to do.

Regardless, however, it was an original way to showcase a bunch of vignettes about various characters' lives without having to create a backstory or a point for their presence in the novel - i.e. Y could tell the story of any conceivable character (someone with an eating disorder, someone slightly nuts, someone with philosophical issues, etc) by just popping us into and out of a single scene - or set of scenes - as he detailed how he watched them while invisible.

That makes it sound like the book is choppy... it is not... well, perhaps the way Vick prefaces each section as a cover letter to an editor is a bit choppy... but the way the stories are told flow relatively normally (it helps that each story Y tells has no relation to the next story he tells, so you are not looking for the connection).

What I didn't like, and didn't understand, is the romantic component of the novel (and I use the term romantic very loosely). I am not sure if this is because I am not familiar with (and am not sure I accept) the concept of transference of emotion to one's therapist (and, anyway, this doesn't explain *her* attraction to Y).

Actually, now that I think more about it, maybe the relationship was doomed to turn into what it turned into just by the very nature of Y being the way he was. I think the ending was quite fitting, and I can't think how it could have been better ended... after all, Y is a bad man, regardless of how much protesting he does.

The narration is very good. There is no sex or gore or foul language. I didn't find any part of the story to be humorous - Y was a bit too sociopathic to be funny.

Different and Deep

Would you listen to The Visible Man again? Why?

Yes. The style is engaging and the performance is perfect.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Both characters were drawn with care.

Insightful and occasionally pretentious

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes, but probably only certain friends. Klosterman is entertaining but he uses the book for long diatribes on philosophy, psychology, and sociology that some readers may find pretentious, or at the very worst, boring. However, I think there are some insightful, thought-provoking discussions that bubble up on occasion that make you stop and think.

If you’ve listened to books by Chuck Klosterman before, how does this one compare?

Having read "Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs" and being thoroughly entertained cover to cover, this title piqued my interest as I wanted to see how Klosterman would fare in the fiction arena. This book captures his same penchant for social and cultural commentary, wrapped in a story, with some clever plot devices.

What about Annabella Sciorra and Scott Shepherd ’s performance did you like?

This book was the first I've heard with two narrators. It really brought the back-and-forth between Vicky and Y to life as they are polar opposites in the beginning (or at least portrayed as such).

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

At first no, but near the end as the tension builds and you are unsure of Y's next move, the story is hard to put down.

Reasonably Good For Klosterman Fans

What did you like best about The Visible Man? What did you like least?

The best thing about The Visible Man is Annabella Sciorra's narration of Victoria. Sciorra really holds this audiobook together. The character of Victoria is also better written than the character of Y__, so that helped as well. The four-star rating for "Performance" on this audiobook is for Sciorra's reading and not for Scott Shepherd, who I felt really played Y__ as way too angry; also, I do understand that Y__ is an angry character, but I think Shepherd could have used some restraint. My least favorite thing about The Visible Man is Klosterman's inability to remove himself from the story. I am a Klosterman fan, and I do enjoy his writing style quite a bit, so it is always nice to hear his dialogue, even when it is a flawed story, and The Visible Man is definitely flawed. There are several problems with this book, including character development, story structure, meandering monologues, etc. I think the problem Klosterman is going to have as he continues to write fiction, is removing his all too obvious voice and perspectives from the characters he creates; he manages this much better in his first novel, Downtown Owl, which is one of my favorite pieces of writing by him. In The Visible Man, Klosterman's unique attitude toward pop culture, existentialism, and world views is shoved into the mouths of these characters without a lot of finesse. If the listener is already familiar with other Klosterman works, than they will find these Klosterisms easily locatable in the story.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

I would have developed the character Y__ differently to demonstrate more sensitivity and empathy. Klosterman piles a lot of issues onto Y__'s character; Y__ is a genius, engineer, sociopath, drug addict, voyeur, burglar, etc., etc., etc. It is too much for one character in this particular story.

Which scene was your favorite?

When Victoria is delivering Y__'s joke about the clown.

Any additional comments?

To be honest, this book just felt rushed, and seemed like it needed for time for development. There is a great story in The Visible Man, but it just takes too many strange, unfulfilling twists and turns. The first quarter of the story is much more measured, thoughtful, and seemingly worked out than the rest of it.

Good, not great.

Enjoyable, but CK's other books are a little better. Lacks the humor found in his earlier stuff. I'd recommend this book, but I'd recommend his other works first.

A Clumsy Vehicle for Social Commentary

How did the narrator detract from the book?

The reading of Victoria threw me off. She seemed to decide that her character would take pensive pauses while speaking. This happened throughout the entire book. I wouldn't be surprised to learn that there was a pause in every sentence she spoke. She even paused to collect her thoughts when reading. She paused as if... trying to think of... the right word... even when the word was... common.

Was The Visible Man worth the listening time?

Overall, the book was interesting. I enjoy Klosterman's social commentary. The story was interesting enough, even though it was forced. I do not enjoy stories in which the characters have no redeeming qualities. That is why I always bail on the anti-hero television shows that are popular today. Y is an arrogant loser who uses his intelligence to justify completely unacceptable behavior. Victoria is a door mat who does not use her intelligence for any purpose. Everybody is worse off than when the story started. The end.

There was the potential for some statement to be made about surveillance by the NSA and the need for a right to privacy, but if it was intended at all, the author left it as just an inference. I kept feeling like the story would lead me somewhere, but it never did.

Very interesting

Keeps you intrigued, the voices are a little dull but a good story over all!

Interesting Entertaining Listen

The story grabbed me from the first moment and held me through the end. The narration was perfect for the characters. It isn't the type of book I will not likely spend a moment thinking about now that it is finished but it was very entertaining and past my commuter hours pleasantly. That is all I expect of a good audiobook to make it worth the credit.