"The moments that passed while we worked the river were neither brief nor long, were in fact somehow removed from the very restriction or notion of time - we were outside of time, is how it felt to me". So speaks the enigmatic Eli Sisters, and so is the lasting effect of Patrick deWitt's Man Booker shortlisted The Sisters Brothers.

"Are you there, Satan? It's me, Madison."

Chuck Palahnuik is a literary oddity: his work can often seem overblown or over-sensationalised, yet their imprint on the public consciousness is – in some aspects – unparalleled and their lasting marks on the philosophy of an entire generation, and on the Hollywood cinematic mainstream, is virtually incomparable. Naturally, some of this is down to his narrative flair – but, the main reason Palahnuik's books are so successful, so relevant, is that he understands the pitfalls of contemporary society and flaws of the contemporary human being.