Fight Club

Chuck Palahniuk's first published novel, and probably his most famous: Fight Club, is a short read at 208 pages. But it was originally a seven page short story, which later became chapter six of the book. Despite the length of the book, it has become one of my favorite reads, that I have read time and time again.

The plot is quite complex, and this review will not contain plot spoilers, because I feel that ruins the personal experience of reading it. Chapter one opens with the narrator near the end of his story, writing as if we've already read the whole book. He then, as of chapter two, describes many different events, chapter by chapter, skipping back and fourth. Thus with the reader only reading certain points and traits of a character at any one point. The feel of the book changes as the major plot twist is revealed towards the end, and the book begins to skip less. I find that this style of writing is hard to achieve with success, but Palahniuk does it well, so the reader never loses interest in the plot or the characters.

I found it hard to find many faults in this book, but I would have enjoyed to read more of the narrators life before meeting the other characters. I really enjoyed the many culture references in the book, which become more negative as the plot progresses.

I would give Fight Club 4.5/5 stars, and recommend it to people who like dark humor. Or anyone whose seen the film and enjoyed it, but never read the book.