Not Forever, But For Now

Written by Chuck Palahniuk

Narrated by Raphael Corkhill

From the bestselling author of Fight Club comes a hilarious horror satire about a family of professional killers responsible for the most atrocious events in history and the young brothers that are destined to take over.

Meet Otto and Cecil. Two brothers growing up privileged in the Welsh countryside. They enjoy watching nature shows, playing with their pet pony, impersonating their Grandfather...and killing the help. Murder is the family business after all. Downton Abbey, this is not.

However, it’s not so easy to continue the family legacy with the constant stream of threats and distractions seemingly leaping from the hedgerow. First there is the matter of the veritable cavalcade of escaped convicts that keep showing up at their door. Not to mention the debaucherous new tutor who has a penchant for speaking in Greek and dismembering sex dolls. Then there’s Mummy’s burgeoning opioid addiction. And who knows where Daddy is. He just vanished one day after he and Mummy took a walk in the so called “Ghost Forest.”

With Grandfather putting pressure on Otto to step up, it becomes clear that this will all end in only two ways: a nuclear apocalypse or just another day among the creeping thistle and tree peonies. And in a novel written by Chuck Palahniuk, either are equally possible.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
• Release date: Sep 5, 2023
• ISBN: 9781797164083

Chuck Palahniuk

Chuck Palahniuk’s fourteen novels include the bestselling Snuff; Rant; Haunted; Lullaby; Fight Club, which was made into a film by director David Fincher; Diary; Survivor; Invisible Monsters; and Choke, which was made into a film by director Clark Gregg. He is also the author of the nonfiction profile of Portland, Fugitives and Refugees, and the nonfiction collection Stranger Than Fiction. His story collection Make Something Up was a widely banned bestseller. His graphic novel Fight Club II hit #1 on the New York Times list. He’s also the author of Fight Club III and the coloring books Bait and Legacy, as well as the writing guide Consider This. He lives in the Pacific Northwest.

Reviews for Not Forever, But For Now

[Kimha Nguyen · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Couldn’t finish. 3 hours to go and it was still just one vile scene after another. I couldn’t be convinced that there was an actual story or point to all of this by the time I gave up. I’m not easily offended but I think I just had enough.

[Jason Gardner · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

If you’ve read any of Chuck’s numerous novels, short stories, coloring books, or non-fiction titles, you know already that his work must be approached with an open mind. He means to take you into the darkness, so that when you emerge into the meager light of reality it is brighter than you thought before. We are all the kid in the alleyway with the revolver pressed to his skull, and after we flip that last page and close the book, we can savor our lives more, and look forward rather than back. There are many ideals tied into this narrative if you choose to see them. And keep in mind, the intro card does describe it as a horror/comedy/satire. Three outta three ain’t bad. If your only expectation is Palahniuk at his best, you’ll be satisfied.

P.S. I hope you love British colloquilism as much as I do.

[Montag · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Could not finish. Chapter after chapter of sexual abuse. I’ve read other Palahniuk books and know that he can push boundaries, but this seems to have little to no point. The “family business” part only seemed to serve as opportunities to write about more sexual abuse. Foul, vile, and utterly distasteful.

[Damien Smith · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Chuck’s back in his best form, obliterating all social norms with abysmally damaged characters, snowballing in decrepitude and of course, somehow tied to the most impactful celebrity deaths and domestic disasters of our time. Not his best but faaaaaaaaaarrrr from his worst, the absolute inanity of circumstance portrayed by the central figures harkens back to his his early works. Every group is on blast, true to Palahniuk’s form, and as uncomfortable as some of the targets may be in our modern sociopolitical climate, it’s comforting to know this one’s fiction. Lose yourself in the offensive and enjoy(?) the ride.

[Michelle Renee · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

What did I just listen to? This was dreadful, not sure why I finished it .

[Richard Weissenberg · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book is an absolutely mad mashup of comedy and horror, pitched somewhere between Gormenghast, The 120 Days of Sodom, and Withnail & I. A revolting and magical tale of two brothers in an incestuous relationship, infantilised by their aristocratic family, while being raised to be contract killers and conspirators. If you are looking for gritty realism, look elsewhere. If you want to be appalled and entertained, walk this way.

The narration, by the way, is utterly brilliant. Every character has a convincing voice and emotional range. The narrator even makes the deliberately unedited Americanisms work in the voice of the fey British protagonist.

I can't believe this is the same author who wrote Fight Club. This book has its own, very different voice, and deserves to become equally iconic.

[Melanie Beaulieu · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I’ve enjoyed many of Chuck’s other books and appreciated the social commentary in them. I wasn’t offended by the content so much as failing to see where he was going with the rich, privileged incestuous gay theme. As this combination of social categories or predilections is rarely encountered together in real life (good thing) , I’m not sure which social group he was trying to aim at with the satire- incestuous siblings? Rich boys who never grow up and steal cars to ride around with blow up dolls or gay pedophiles ? I tried to finish this book but with 2 hrs of audio to go, I realized I just didn’t see the point. I didn’t foresee any brilliant insights or denouement. So just a meh for me. Others may like if they’re just looking for a weird perverted kind of read.

[Aaron Jarrells · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I just had trouble connecting with this one like I have with Palahniuk's other works. It felt like he was just trying to one-up the outrageous descriptions for the shock value, with not much of a bigger point to it. I'm still a big fan, but this one just didn't do it for me.