Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk

Sebastian, our lead protagonist, writes Haiku to escape the stresses of his worker-drone life.

Worker bees can leave. 
Even drones can fly away. 
The Queen is their slave.

The whole novel is covered in these three lines and that’s why you should read this novel. Sure, Fight Club is an iconic movie. And as I read it, I couldn’t help wonder if it were written with a screen adaptation in mind. Why was Tyler a projectionist, splicing genitals in to Disney movies? So that Brad could be spliced in two or three times before we are introduced to the character? Sure, go and watch it again and see for yourself, or better yet READ. THE. NOVEL.

The writing is brilliant. The book is packed brim full with aphorisms. The narration is loose and sloppy, and the result is much like an uncanny valley in text form: Something is not right here, your subconscious tells you, and pulls at the threads that make the big reveal all the more believable when it lands. Re-reading Fight Club is wonderful because of how much Palahniuk telegraphs the twist. He actually spells it out in the opening pages. I know this because Tyler knows this.

The fast paced narrative propels you along – it cuts straight to the chase again and again. It’s like Fight Club was written for people who don’t read novels. Maybe that’s why Fight Club 2 & 3 are comic books?

Clocking in at just over 200 pages, Fight Club contains so much story, so much pathos and character-rich moments that it feels like a much bigger and more substantial read. I loved this book. It was one of the most pleasantly surprising reads of the year. While I remembered most of the key beats of the plot, I had forgotten how good the writing is. How pared back and bare-knuckled some passages are set against passages of flabby fluorescent-lit underbelly. It was a delight to re-read.

Fight Club:

Chaos in the night,
Identity’s lost and found,
Rules break, fists ignite.

4.6 out of 5. Put this at the top of your pile.