▁own ▁incident ▁of ▁road ▁ra ge ▁inspired ▁the ▁initial ▁concept ▁of ▁his ▁nov ella , ▁Mat ernal ▁Inst inct , ▁which ▁eventually ▁became ▁Sur viv or . ▁He ▁also ▁further ▁explains ▁his ▁object ives ▁of ▁such ▁a ▁hard core ▁and ▁un rel ent ing ▁piece ▁of ▁fiction ▁by ▁saying , ▁“ My ▁original ▁intention ▁wasn ’ t ▁to ▁write ▁something ▁with ▁a ▁polar izing ▁effect , ▁but ▁to ▁simply ▁disturb ▁the ▁hell ▁out ▁of ▁the ▁reader , ▁period . ▁At ▁the ▁time ▁I ▁started ▁writing ▁the ▁short ▁novel ▁Mat ernal ▁Inst inct ▁– ▁which ▁I ▁later ▁expanded ▁into ▁the ▁novel ▁Sur viv or ▁– ▁I ▁had ▁no ▁idea ▁how ▁the ▁novel ▁was ▁going ▁to ▁progress , ▁or ▁end , ▁for ▁that ▁matter . ▁The ▁characters ▁were ▁telling ▁me ▁this ▁story . ▁I ▁was ▁app alled ▁as ▁anybody ▁by ▁what ▁happened , ▁but ▁I ▁also ▁realized ▁that ▁if ▁I ▁opt ed ▁out , ▁if ▁I ▁forced ▁certain ▁plot ▁points ▁or ▁motiv ations ▁to ▁go ▁a ▁certain ▁way ▁to ▁a ▁more ▁safe ▁and ▁' h appy ' ▁way , ▁that ▁it ▁would ▁ring ▁false .” ▁ ▁Crit ical ▁reception ▁ ▁The ▁response ▁to ▁J . F . ▁Gonz ale z ’ s ▁Sur viv or ▁has ▁been ▁mostly ▁positive ▁since ▁its ▁initial ▁release ▁in ▁ 2 0 0 4 . ▁When ▁Sur viv or ▁was ▁contract ed ▁and ▁red ist ributed ▁by ▁Le is ure ▁Books ▁in ▁ 2 0 0 6 , ▁The ▁New ▁York ▁Times ▁review ed ▁the ▁novel ▁and ▁pra ised ▁it