Invisible Monsters

Invisible Monsters is the third novel by bestselling novelist Chuck Palahniuk. Published in 1999, the novel was intended to be Palahniuk’s first published novel but was rejected for its disturbing content. Invisible Monsters is a contemporary work in the first person with a non-linear narration. The main characters include a former model and transgender woman focused on the search for identity in a society where beauty defines a person’s self-worth.

Content Warning: Please be advised that this novel depicts violence, drug use, and body dysmorphia. There are also graphic discussions of sexually transmitted diseases, murder, death by suicide, self harm, and family dysfunction. Invisible Monsters is considered controversial, and reflects outdated portrayals of LGBTQ+ and transgender individuals that may perpetuate harmful stereotypes.

This study guide utilizes the e-book based on the W. W. Norton & Company, Inc. paperback published in 2018.

Plot Summary

It is the day of Evie Cottrell’s wedding, and things have gone terribly wrong. The house is burning down around Evie, her estranged friend and former model Shannon McFarland, and Shannon’s friend Brandy Alexander. Evie has just shot Brandy, who asks Shannon to tell her story. Shannon cannot tell Brandy’s story without telling her own, so she begins with the day she was shot in the face while driving her car.