Palahniuk’s use of a blunt voice in this book doesn’t preclude the beauty of his use of language:
The moment Marla is out the door, Tyler appears back in the room
Fast as a magic trick. My parents did this magic act for five years. (pg. 71)
Palahniuk has set this up previously, the fact that he does not see Marla and Tyler in the same room at any one time. It does many things, including having me wonder if the two are not each or both products of his imagination. But that’s not what I’m pointing out here.
What I love about the above image is that it uses the simile, “Fast as a magic trick.” and pairs it with the metaphor, “My parents did this magic act for five years.” which tells us so much about the narrator’s background. How evidently as a child he noticed his parents avoidance of each other; how they maneuvered around conflict. This is such a clear image of their marital relationship that most married people, or anyone spending time in a relationship that is close, can identify with even on a temporary, single event by event, brief state of being.
The Lost Children: A Charity Anthology