A novel by Palahniuk (Not Forever, but For Now, 2023) almost defies attempts to describe it, which may be exactly what he intends. In his newest dark satire, high-school students, the cream of the crop, are dying, apparently from suicide. What is driving them to this extreme act? A rash of suicides among young people is not a new plot; John Saul tackled it in Punish the Sinners, back in 1978. But nobody takes an idea and runs with it the way Palahniuk does. His teen-suicide story is set in a brilliantly realized near-future in which the super-wealthy keep students under surveillance from the day they're born, deciding which will be offered a job--and a lifetime spent under the control of their employer (even this is just a tiny sampling of the wonderful, scary, funny ideas in this book). The author's writing style isn't for everyone: he bounces from idea to idea, shifts gears stylistically, and rambles on from time to time, but it's all completely intentional and an integral part of his unique storytelling mode. Palahniuk's fans will be delighted.

In the latest bracing satire from Palahniuk (Fight Club), a wave of high school suicides roils the country. The narrative centers on Samantha Deel, a brilliant and resourceful teenager who's hit hard by the suicide of her boyfriend, Garson. When her excellent academic record attracts the notice of an organization called Greener Pastures, she agrees to enter its mysterious program. Passages from the group's "Guide," which blends calls for Stepford Wives--esque conformity with a vision for a new order ("The family is over"), are interspersed throughout the novel. The excerpts provide an eerie contrast to Sam's dangerous odyssey as a complex series of events brings the teen, who is secretly pregnant with Garson's baby, to the Orphanage, an affiliate of Greener Pastures, where her process of "induction" begins. The patchwork structure accommodates periodic sidebars and ironic observations on references high and low, from Hitler to Captains Courageous, as the narrator muses on totalitarianism and mind control. Many of the one-liners target low-hanging fruit, but there's a cleverness to the depiction of Sam as a survivor ("Unlike Jay Gatsby," Palahniuk writes, "Samantha Deel would live beyond her early infatuation"). Die-hard Palahniuk fans will lap this up. Agents: Sloan Harris and Dan Kirschen, ICM Partners. (Oct.)

Students in a prestigious high school are disappearing at an alarming rate; these tragedies present as a rash of suicides, but the truth is something more sinister. Reeling after the death of her boyfriend, high school student Samantha Deel is recruited by a mysterious program called Green Pastures. The program offers billionaires the chance to bid exorbitant sums on teens who have been surveilled since childhood and groomed to perform niche roles. After she discovers that she is pregnant with her boyfriend's baby, Samantha must decide whether she's willing to buy into all that Green Pastures offers--choosing between the promise of comfort and security or living life on her own terms despite the danger of breaking with the formidable organization. Michael David Axtell narrates Palahniuk's (Not Forever, but for Now) futuristic world, guiding listeners through this deeply unsettling and often confusing book. Axtell's humorous and horrifying presentation enhances Palahniuk's jarring, scattershot approach, amping up the stakes in this world where the über-wealthy control the fates of future generations. VERDICT A dizzying narrative, dropping listeners into the middle of Palahniuk's smartly dystopian landscape and leaving them to puzzle their way out. Exceptional narration makes for propulsive listening.--Elyssa Everling