Fight Club (novel)
First edition cover
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| Author | Chuck Palahniuk |
|---|---|
| Cover artist | Michael Ian Kaye Melissa Hayden Proverbial Inc. |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Satirical novel |
| Publisher | W. W. Norton |
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Publication date
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August 17, 1996 |
| Media type | Print (Hardcover) |
| Pages | 208 |
| ISBN | |
| OCLC | 33440073 |
| 813/.54 20 | |
| LC Class | PS3566.A4554 F54 1996 |
Fight Club is a 1996 novel by Chuck Palahniuk. It follows the experiences of an unnamed protagonist struggling with insomnia. Inspired by his doctor's exasperated remark that insomnia is not suffering, the protagonist finds relief by impersonating a seriously ill person in several support groups. Then he meets a mysterious man named Tyler Durden and establishes an underground fighting club as radical psychotherapy.
In 1999, director David Fincher adapted the novel into a film of the same name, starring Brad Pitt and Edward Norton. The film acquired a cult following despite lower than expected box-office results. The film's prominence heightened the profile of the novel and that of Palahniuk. The sequel Fight Club 2 was released in comic book form in May 2015.
Fight Club centers on an anonymous narrator, who works as a product recall specialist for an unnamed car company. Because of the stress of his job and the jet lag brought upon by frequent business trips, he begins to suffer from recurring insomnia. When he seeks treatment, his doctor advises him to visit a support group for testicular cancer victims to "see what real suffering is like". He finds that sharing the problems of others—despite not having testicular cancer himself—alleviates his insomnia.
The narrator's unique treatment works until he meets Marla Singer, another "tourist" who visits the support group under false pretenses. The possibly disturbed Marla reminds the narrator that he is a faker who does not belong there. He begins to hate Marla for keeping him from crying, and, therefore, from sleeping. After a confrontation, the two agree to attend separate support group meetings to avoid each other. The truce is uneasy, and the narrator's insomnia returns.
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