Fight Club

Contributed by Dawson, gr. 12, Jan. 2019

Fight Club is a book that must be read before watching the movie. It is a thought-provoking story that is relevant to current society, which is the reason it appealed to me when I picked it from the library shelf.

The story follows an unnamed main character suffering from insomnia who is trapped in a boring life and craves interesting new experiences and belonging. It takes place mostly in an apartment where the main character lives with his two friends, Tyler and Marla, and in bars and cities across the country.

I had already heard of this book and wanted to know what made it so popular. At first glance Fight Club struck me as classic Rocky Balboa: fist punching, boxing ring, action-packed underdog story with a plot twist! Surprisingly, what greeted me was an increasingly twisted story of deception, confusion, and mischief. The book contains some mature subject matter and has some scenes that are at times unsettling.

I would recommend this book for anyone who enjoyed the many interpretations of Life of Pi and following a book with a plot that becomes increasingly wild and improbable. This book could be read by students in grades 10 through 12 and almost anyone who will invest the time to think about its many possible meanings.