I’ve had a chance to read some of Chuck Palahniuk’s other work and the only word for his work I’ve read so far is visceral. Given his pride at always being able to have people faint during his readings of Guts, many people would say the same. So despite his gripping writing and that Fight Club was the book that launched him into the spotlight, but have never gotten around to reading it. Having seen the movie, and read that there is a lot content from the book, I was curious to see how it played out, despite knowing the twist at the end. I’m also going to assume that most people do know, if you do not, I don’t spoil anything, but on with caution.

Knowing the twist does take some of the sting out of the book. There are a few clever little hints through the book that a reader with fresh eyes might gloss over, but having seen the movie you are just kind of waiting for that “lost of cabin pressure” moment. That said, if you go in know that you know the end, it is still an excellent read. Palahniuk writing is disjointed and punctuated by whitespace – lots of whitespace, so you read it faster than you expect. If I was told that the book was written not after the movie, but during by someone given only one chance to write what was happening down, I would not be surprised. Dialogue is hard to follow and I found myself rereading to track who said what, but this fits with the theme of the unreliable narrator quite well. Some of the most fleshed out passages are around fight scenes and even they are short and brutal, with Palahniuk’s ability to  write gore and brutality given a chance to shine. I couldn’t tell you how many times I grimaced while reading it.

While this review sounds conflicted, its really hard to compliment Palahniuk’s work – its like trying to compliment a really great painting of shit. I mean it could be a really great painting, with excellent composition that speaks to the subject matter, and incorporates the texture of the paint in the final design.  But it is still a painting of shit, and the better the depiction the more it is going to fill you with revulsion.

Fight Club is a gripping read, that flows well and doesn’t waste time with its message and I can’t recommend it enough – but its still a book about guys beating each other in an attempt to escape rampant consumerism, all of them led by someone with mental health issues.