Book Thirty-Six of the Book-a-Week Quest
Fight Club
by Chuck Palahniuk (1996)
Fight Club
by Chuck Palahniuk (1996)
Even though the movie is directed by one of my favorite directors, David Fincher, I've never seen the cinematic adaptation of Fight Club. That being said, since it's a film liked by a lot of people, I had had the ending spoiled for me. Fortunately, that didn't really ruin my appreciation for this book, which, while not amazing, was an enjoyable read that I was able to finish in less than a day.
Most everyone reading this probably knows the plot, and, if you don't it can pretty much be summed up in one (run-on) sentence. The narrator (who, if I'm not mistaken, we never find out his name) meets up with Tyler Durden, an anarchist who has formed various groups including a Fight Club (in which participants secretly meet in order to beat each other to a pulp) and Project Mayhem (a group that fights against societal norms in violent manners); a friendship ensues and the narrator begins to change...for better or worse...
There's not a lot of plot here, but that really didn't detract from my enjoyment of the novel. To me, the biggest point that Palahniuk is trying to make (and I swear I wrote this before I looked at Wikipedia...the same thing, essentially, is written there) is that men have been stripped of their masculinity, whether it be by women or the materialistic consumer age, and Tyler's Fight Club and Project Mayhem are simply ways for men to become MEN again. Have a little fun...beat some people up...fight back at a government and society that has turned you into the weaklings that they force you to be. For the most part, Palahniuk makes this work. Sure, he delves into the "consumerism is bad" thing, which, although I've read nothing else of his, I've heard is prevalent in quite a few of his novels, but I appreciated the theme.
And Palahniuk writes in such a manner that, although he tends to jump around and be talking about two or three different things at once, is incredibly easy to read and follow. Not once was I confused and I felt like it was one of those novels where I easily could have been. His writing style isn't overly descriptive which is another plus in my book. He writes just enough about something to give the reader a broad idea of what he's talking about and allows you to fill in the blanks.
Overall, I must say that I enjoyed the book quite a bit. As evidenced by the fact that I read this in the course of about 16 hours, I really couldn't put the book down. I'd definitely consider picking up another book of his.
Most everyone reading this probably knows the plot, and, if you don't it can pretty much be summed up in one (run-on) sentence. The narrator (who, if I'm not mistaken, we never find out his name) meets up with Tyler Durden, an anarchist who has formed various groups including a Fight Club (in which participants secretly meet in order to beat each other to a pulp) and Project Mayhem (a group that fights against societal norms in violent manners); a friendship ensues and the narrator begins to change...for better or worse...
There's not a lot of plot here, but that really didn't detract from my enjoyment of the novel. To me, the biggest point that Palahniuk is trying to make (and I swear I wrote this before I looked at Wikipedia...the same thing, essentially, is written there) is that men have been stripped of their masculinity, whether it be by women or the materialistic consumer age, and Tyler's Fight Club and Project Mayhem are simply ways for men to become MEN again. Have a little fun...beat some people up...fight back at a government and society that has turned you into the weaklings that they force you to be. For the most part, Palahniuk makes this work. Sure, he delves into the "consumerism is bad" thing, which, although I've read nothing else of his, I've heard is prevalent in quite a few of his novels, but I appreciated the theme.
And Palahniuk writes in such a manner that, although he tends to jump around and be talking about two or three different things at once, is incredibly easy to read and follow. Not once was I confused and I felt like it was one of those novels where I easily could have been. His writing style isn't overly descriptive which is another plus in my book. He writes just enough about something to give the reader a broad idea of what he's talking about and allows you to fill in the blanks.
Overall, I must say that I enjoyed the book quite a bit. As evidenced by the fact that I read this in the course of about 16 hours, I really couldn't put the book down. I'd definitely consider picking up another book of his.
If you're going to read something else by him, I'd recommend Choke (my personal favorite), or maybe Diary (really interesting plot and a relatively quick read). They're both fantastic, but I pretty much enjoy anything Palahniuk.
ReplyDeleteI shall keep them both in mind...I'm all for quick reads...
ReplyDeleteI love this movie and therefore have wanted to read the book to see how the convoluted character anaylsis and eventual discovery enfolds and whether it could be done on page without a few confusing moments. Good to know it's worth the read.
ReplyDeleteAnd don't worry Jeff, some other people have their slightly irrelevant moments also. [head jerk in a certain direction]
I'd recommend reading Haunted and give it the label of "good" but -I only read half of it...
ReplyDeleteThere you go again with your half-read recommendations...
ReplyDelete;-)