You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.02 AVERAGE
4.02 AVERAGE
dark
funny
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
funny
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Having never seen the film, I dove in to this excitedly after a few recommendations knowing only that there was a twist somewhere near the end. Admittedly after the first few chapters I was ready to give up, the story was written in a way that made me feel like I was inside the mind of a mad man as the narrator jumps from one topic to another very randomly and it can be quite hard to understand at times, but I persevered. Shortly after I worked everything out for myself and realised I was supposed to be inside the head of a mad man. Chuck Palahniuk is a literary genius, showing so vividly what happens inside the mind of someone who is descending in to a complete madness he himself doesn't know the extent of and then wrapping it up in a strange but intriguing gritty story. I loved it.
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
SO GOOD! i wish i could have read this before i watched the movie 😠this is such an inspiring book from a storytelling perspective. what a feat palahniuk achieved here!
February 2025 Bookclub read ----
I had seen the movie before reading this book so I did know the plot/twist (so technically the book was ruined for me) BUT I still fucking loved this book (as I did the movie). Also SPOILERS so don't read my review if you don't want the plot RUINED.
At first you're like, great another loser male protagonist who finds no other way to release his anger or find joy in his life other than going to cancer support groups even though he does not have cancer, and bashing people up in an underground fight club. But his reasons are so relatable, stuck in an endless cycle of going to work, going home, going to work, going home. The point of the novel is to be so ridiculous, satirical and critical of both masculinity and capitalism but don't be fooled, despite loving this book, it is also a bleak reminder of the world we live in - which has just gotten worse than when this book was written, making the critics hit even harder tbh. I was wondering how this book would compare to the movie and I was impressed with the continuous callbacks and little hints throughout that we are dealing with an unreliable narrator. I wish I had more to say but I really think this is one of those books you need to read for yourself to find out!
Quotes I liked:
-'It's easy to cry when you realise that everyone you love will reject you or die. On a long enough time line, the survival rate for everyone will drop to zero.'
-'I am Jane's Uterus. I am Joe's Prostate. No kidding, and Tyler comes to the kitchen table with his hickies and no shirt and says, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, he met Marla Singer last night and they had sex. Hearing this, I am totally Joe's Gallbladder. All of this is my fault. Sometimes you do something, and you get screwed. Sometimes it's the things you don't do, and you get screwed.'
-'How could I compete for Tyler's attention. I am Joe's Enraged, Inflamed Sense of Rejection.'
-'I'm starting to wonder if Tyler and Marla are the same person... Tyler and Marla are never in the same room together. Still, you never see me and Zsa Zsa Gabor together, and that doesn't mean we're the same person.'
-'We are not special. We are not crap or trash either. We just are. We just are, and what happens just happens.'
I had seen the movie before reading this book so I did know the plot/twist (so technically the book was ruined for me) BUT I still fucking loved this book (as I did the movie). Also SPOILERS so don't read my review if you don't want the plot RUINED.
At first you're like, great another loser male protagonist who finds no other way to release his anger or find joy in his life other than going to cancer support groups even though he does not have cancer, and bashing people up in an underground fight club. But his reasons are so relatable, stuck in an endless cycle of going to work, going home, going to work, going home. The point of the novel is to be so ridiculous, satirical and critical of both masculinity and capitalism but don't be fooled, despite loving this book, it is also a bleak reminder of the world we live in - which has just gotten worse than when this book was written, making the critics hit even harder tbh. I was wondering how this book would compare to the movie and I was impressed with the continuous callbacks and little hints throughout that we are dealing with an unreliable narrator. I wish I had more to say but I really think this is one of those books you need to read for yourself to find out!
Quotes I liked:
-'It's easy to cry when you realise that everyone you love will reject you or die. On a long enough time line, the survival rate for everyone will drop to zero.'
-'I am Jane's Uterus. I am Joe's Prostate. No kidding, and Tyler comes to the kitchen table with his hickies and no shirt and says, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, he met Marla Singer last night and they had sex. Hearing this, I am totally Joe's Gallbladder. All of this is my fault. Sometimes you do something, and you get screwed. Sometimes it's the things you don't do, and you get screwed.'
-'How could I compete for Tyler's attention. I am Joe's Enraged, Inflamed Sense of Rejection.'
-'I'm starting to wonder if Tyler and Marla are the same person... Tyler and Marla are never in the same room together. Still, you never see me and Zsa Zsa Gabor together, and that doesn't mean we're the same person.'
-'We are not special. We are not crap or trash either. We just are. We just are, and what happens just happens.'
dark
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
dark
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
It's Fight Club. What could I possibly say about Fight Club which hasn't already been said?