The side affect of reading a book after seeing the movie version is that I end up just doing a comparison of the two. Please accept my apologies in advance. Fight Club is Portland author Chuck Palahniuk's first novel. The story describes a 30 year old man fed up with his catalogue consumer cubical life of isolationism and self-delusion. He has insomnia and finds the only way he can sleep is by going to support groups for people with serious and often fatal diseases. That works until a healthy woman starts showing up to the same meetings. The protagonist is then forced to find an more drastic solution to his troubles. He finds a buddy and they form fight clubs were working class men pound on each other every night. The story isn't so much about fighting as it is a rejection of ones place in modern society. Over time, they begin to perform increasingly aggressive acts of rebellion. And as with all rebels driven to ever more extravagant heights, things start to get out of control. I didn't see the movie until 2001 but it was without a doubt my favorite film that year. I would say it is the only screenplay that borders on being better than the book, at least in terms of its appeal to me. The movie has a more activist rejection of consumer culture which resonated with me as I've purchased so many things that never gave me true pleasure. The book ends on a more negative note. No surprise as Hollywood has a history of presenting serious mental illness in a cheerful light. I highly recommend reading the book, twice.