Um terrorista de 13 anos infiltra os subúrbios americanos, disfarçado de estudante de intercâmbio. Objectivo final: destruição épica do inimigo americano e dos seus símbolos consumistas, culpados por todo o mal do mundo. O livro acaba por ser uma sátira imparcial; aos americanos embrutecidos e ao regime socialista desconhecido de onde vêm a personagem principal e os seus camaradas.
O livro é difícil de ler, ao princípio. A história é contada na primeira pessoa, em inglês pensado em estrangeiro. Mas como me aconteceu com o trainspotting, acabei por me adaptar à linguagem e ao ritmo.
Diz o Palahniuk:
A. After the first chapter it was completely natural, because early on I had decided on the rules of Pygmy. He would speak with certain redundancies, and he wouldn't know the article "the." He wouldn't know the conjunction "and." He wouldn't know the word "again," so he would say "repeat." He wouldn't know "always," so he would say "forever." I just made a big bible, a big list of the grammatical rules of Pygmy, and once I had applied them in a couple of scenes, it was natural. Also, to a certain evil extent they were based on the way my first generation Ukrainian relatives talked. So they were a combination of my bad German, my Ukrainian relatives, and the rules I had come up with.
Por mim tudo bem; o único problema é que dava por mim a imaginar a voz do Apu dos Simpsons enquanto lia o livro.
"Face sideways flat clobber into title wall, bully blue eye flutter, eye cover skins flicker, blink, flincker, come open. Bully mouth biting sideways into tiltle say, "What the fuck?
One hand operative me open down own trouser zipper. One hand operative me fingers fold into pointed snake head, dart strike, zip-bam, Mighty Python Smother, to cram into bully mouth."
"-Pleased to meet you Pygmy. Say, - I'm reverend Tony.
Mouths of operative me say, - Happy to engage you, crafty stooge of superstition.
Mouths of operative me say, - How is your health, puppet of Satan?
Worship leader fashion forehead to lift single hair brow arching above eye. Devil Tony preserve smile. Say - This little young 'un needs to practice his English.
(...) Could be, with pointed knee, sock-block, explode worship leader rib cage. Coulde be, crash head into reverend head, butt-bang, contusion brain . Instead, this agent merely say, - Meet repeat soon, please, licking viper of evil."
Desnecessário: o final muito SPOILER "love conquers all".
