From the attention the movie received, I think many people were expecting your typical action story with tons of fighting. I wasn’t even really anxious to see the movie, and I pride myself on enjoying action based movies (especially in a society where everyone thinks the only thing women enjoy watching is romance). Hollywood made it seem like it had the most basic of plots, nothing that would take a lot of thinking on the viewers’ part. Wrong. After seeing the movie and grasping the complexity of the plot, I knew I had to read the book.

Chuck Palahnuik presents the story of an average guy. I’ll call him “Joe Average” for the sake of this review. Joe Average could be anyone in today’s capitalist America. He has a decent job, a decent place to live, a decent car; he pays his taxes, doesn’t question “the man”, consumes from that which he produces. He probably sounds like someone you know. Heck, he could even sound like YOU!

Joe Average can’t sleep well. After unsuccessful treatment from the doctors, he discovers the joys of group therapy. He doesn’t have an illness, but the sob stories told during the sessions make him realize that his “problems” aren’t so bad. What could be worse than people with brain tumors, men who have breast from testosterone ratios, and people with blood parasites? With that knowledge in mind, he finds it easier to sleep at night because he could have it worse. This is his relief until he meets Marla Singer. She like him is a faker, and in Joe Average’s mind, she’s ruining it for him. For the first time, he is unable to release his own “problems” during these group sessions, and the insomnia returns – thus clearing the way for more serious problems while making a new “friend”, if you will, of Marla Singer.

Not too long after Marla ruins his “joy”, Joe Average meets Tyler Durden on one of his business trips. He first spots Tyler on a deserted beach trying to build a large sun clock. Tyler isn’t the type of friend you bring home to mother. He splices images of genitalia into movies. He’s mocking, opinionated, smug, and perhaps even dangerous. After a freak accident concerning his home and car (oh the horror!), Joe Average finds himself in a bar with Tyler. After releasing the woes of being fatherless children (among other things), Tyler tells Joe Average to hit him, and the Fight Club is born.

This story delves into the complexity of one man’s life who’s fed up with his average life. Readers watch as Mr. Average sinks into a life while the law of the land is settled by furious fists. Sick of the weak lives they lead in corporate America, Joe Average—as well as other men trapped in the monotony of life—battle it out in the basement of bars. Tyler and Joe Average build a mantra for men who are sick of their lives. They establish a wide-spread dogma for men who are tired of being corporate America’s lapdog. However, this freedom doesn’t come without consequences. Nothing this good—this free—comes without repercussions.

Fight Club is definitely a must read for those of us who like books that probes deeper than what can be seen. It explores the psychological state of Joe Average, his struggles with society. If you’re looking for a good book filled with pointless violence, this probably isn’t for you, but if you’re looking for something that digs a little deeper, you’ll probably find that in Fight Club.

Score! This book was effing awesome. Thanks for loaning it to me.

CAUGHT IN NEW ORLEANS LOUISIANA UNITED STATES

Glad you enjoyed it, Nick. :)