Tuesday, June 20, 2000
Title: Fight Club
Author: Chuck Palahniuk
Publisher: Vintage
Fight Club was one of those films which was based on a novel, this being that novel. For the most part the novel will have more in it than the film. In some ways that is the case here, and as one would expect there are some differences in the way that things happen; minor characters become even lesser in the film and their actions are attributed to more central characters; while other events are dropped or compressed to move the plot along. Alternatively a film, being visual, can emphasize and play up certain aspects of a story, giving them a greater significance.
The story is of our narrator, an insomniac who finds relief through support groups. Finding release in the tragedies of others until another fake comes along. Then it's back to insomnia and a meeting with the charismatic Tyler Durden. Between them they concoct fight club - the perfect release and hardening for a weakened generation. The role of the person is lost in the conflict, and each member seeks the self-destruction of hitting bottom. Fight Club escalates and suddenly they are everywhere, then one step further into social terrorism.
The intent of Fight Club is to challenge the status quo of the accepted, while at the same time giving us the experience of someone who is part of the culture he is fighting against as he finds his limits - positive and negative. The rate at which it catches on shows the strength of the idea. The prevalence of discontent and support groups provides another level of commentary. Fight Club offers subversion - providing tips on how to make explosives and all sort of other "home cooking" advice.
The ending of Fight Club was in some ways unsatisfactory as a film. But in the book it does actually build a lot better and comes to a stronger conclusion for the most part. In some ways seeing the film a second time benefited its ending, which may in actuality also help the reading of the novel. It is interesting to compare the two and see where they balance ideas differently - at just over 200 pages, it's a quick read - one I read in one night!
RVWR: PTR
June 2000
Friday, June 16, 2000
Title: A Scanner Darkly
Author: Philip K. Dick
Publisher: Voyager
Philip K. Dick's A Scanner Darkly has probably just entered my top 3 "most paranoid books I ever read". Bob has a drug habit, one which escalates along with his dealing. Fred is an undercover cop, assigned with watching Bob. Bob is Fred.
Substance D is an insidious new drug, leading to a slow mental deterioration, as witnessed in the first couple of chapters by the breakdown of one addict - obsessed with aphids only he can see. From this point I can tell that A Scanner Darkly is going to mess with my head. As we meet Bob who is working his way up the ladder to capture the top level dealers while reporting to his boss under the guise of Fred, it I clear I am right.
Paranoid instances mix with creeping conspiracy and the gibbering interludes of an addict's final stages. Someone is out to get Bob but the increasing rift between him and "fred" just make matters worse. Something which is dealt with well by Dick as he plays out his explanation and reveals a more disturbing bigger picture. A Scanner Darkly matches the quality of the other pieces I have read by Dick, with a definite stylistic consistency coming through.
RVWR: PTR
June 2000
