23 May 08

Fight Club – The Novel

Awhile ago, I read the original novel of Fight Club.

I surprised myself by reading the entire book in two days. Granted, it’s a short novel, but normally I’m not that engrossed.

This was due to the novel’s differences from the film. Turns out, the film is an excellent adaptation of the novel, but many speeches and conversations in the novel are re-arranged to condense the story. The book focuses tightly on the narrator, and the tale wanders as the narrator’s mind wanders. A film can’t do that. So, for example, Tyler Durden’s “You are not a beautiful and unique snowflake” speech is composed of observations and bits of dialogue from Tyler scattered throughout the novel.

The novel ends in a completely different way than the film. I think I like the film’s ending better, though that’s personal preference for the ending’s style and content. The novel ends on a darker note than the film, though it’s a very Black Comedy sort of dark note.

I’m glad I read it. If I adapt something in the future, I’d learn a lot from a deep study of the differences between the book and the film.