If you've never read the book, then I'm sure you've seen the movie. "Fight Club" is one of the most iconic cult-classics of all time, and Chuck Palahniuk's (paula-nick) creative mind is incredible. Here are some of his most underrated books that everyone should read.
1. Invisible Monsters
This book is my favorite, so it gets the number one spot. It's a fantastic novel about beauty queens, transsexuals, drugs, and much more. Its themes about how beauty, appearance, and attention can make people do crazy things are portrayed through the narrator who shot off half of her face for her parents to notice her. And it all starts with a burning, fiery wedding.
2. Damned
A young girl, Maddy, dies and is sent to hell. At first, she wants to apply to be sent to heaven, but knowing she may have to wait an eternity, she starts to think of other options. She's a bit of a freak, and befriends the popular cheerleader, a punk, a nerd, and a jock. It's the hellish version of The Breakfast Club. She decides that all she wants is Satan's attention and approval. While the ideas are a bit twisted, it relates back to how teenagers just want undying (no pun intended) attention from their parents. Does she stay in Hell, or does she get shipped up to Heaven? Read it and find out!
3. Choke
Victor Mancini is a failed med-school dropout working in a colonial village, and on the side pretends to choke at restaurants. People that saved him will feel bad for him after keeping in touch, and send him money, which he uses to pay for his mother's medical care. Oh, and during his free time, he likes to visit sex-addicts recovery groups to get some action. Definitely on the funnier side of Palahniuk's work, find out where his scamming and shenanigans leads to.
4. Diary
If you're looking for a great mind-fuck, then this is the book for you. The main character, Misty, is stuck on a tourist island that her husband dragged her to. After he tried to kill himself, he's stuck in a coma, and Misty is stuck cleaning up after him and his work. While a once-talented painter, she suddenly becomes part of a much, much larger conspiracy. One of Palahniuk's most creative novels to date.
5. Survivor
Tender Branson is the lone survivor of a death cult, and is explaining his life story into a recording of an airplane that is going to crash and burn. He has become a steroid-induced, collagen-stuffed media craze that people will do anything to see. It's a satirical story about what people will do for fame in our society, and the transition that they choose to go through just to stay in the spotlight. This novel shows how crazy people can actually be in our modern world.
