Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk

Name: Caitlin

Grade: 12

Title: Fight Club

Author: Chuck Palahniuk

There are times in everyone's life when you just want to punch someone in the face. It's unavoidable- especially when you have insomnia so bad that the only way to get a good night's sleep is to delve into the world of the terminally ill. In Fight Club, this is exactly how the narrator's life plays out. Our narrator, who is sometimes referred to as "Joe," but is otherwise unnamed, has been having trouble getting to sleep lately. Joe finds that the only nights he can fall asleep are the nights when he attends his testicular cancer meetings. Fortunately for Joe, he doesn't have testicular cancer; the only way he can fall asleep is if he encounters people who's lives are even less significant than his own. At one of his cancer meetings, he meets the twisted, dark, Marla. Along with Marla comes Tyler. Tyler is everything Joe wishes he was. Tyler has Marla, Tyler knows how to make soap, nitroglycerin, bombs, and how to lead a crowd.

Joe's world warps and changes as Tyler shapes and forms a club- a Fight Club. They meet in the basements of bars. The rules are short, simple, and not to be broken. Two men at a time fight in silence. The fight will not stop until one of the competitors asks or goes limp. The number one rule of Fight Club is not to talk about fight club.

As Fight Club's popularity spreads, Joe's sense of reality and society are warped and twisted until there is no path in front of him. Every day is ruled by Tyler, but Tyler is never around. Joe still has insomnia and everything around him is crumbling. That is what Fight Club can do.

Fight Club was an amazing novel. Palahniuk writes like he's in a movie. It's action-packed, ironic and so very twisted. The twists left me shocked and the ending left me feeling melancholy, but at the same time was perfect.

I picked this book up because I've heard amazing things about Palahinuk and everyone is always teasing me about never having seen Fight Club. Now I can tease them because they haven't read it.

I finished it because I couldn't put it down.

I'd give this book to anyone that loves books written in different ways or fast-paced plots with fascinating characters. Or, anyone that likes reading about cults causing havoc in society. :)

Just remember, kids. The first rule of Fight Club is: Don't talk about Fight Club.