Fight Club

Sublime.  This book represents a pivotal shift in modern literature--when the minimalist approach of Raymond Carver collided with the unholy rants of Bukowski, and the wreckage was towed off by a drunken Chandler.  In this book everything coalesced--voice, characters, plot, dialog.  Above all others, this is a must read.

Palahniuk attained godlike stature following the publication of Fight Club, and it was well deserved.  Even the movie rocked.  However, Fight Club didn't 'just happen.'  Palahniuk has always been a devoted student of the craft.  He studied for years with Tom Spanbauer, an award winning author (see Now is the Hour among others). Attended countless workshops, despite as he says, "having his first novel rejected by every publisher and agent in North America."  Then, after many years he penned the seminal novel that paved the way for countless authors such as Craig Clevenger, Will Christopher Baer, and Monica Drake.  

Palahniuk now contributes monthly essays to the The Cult, a website providing online forums, workshops, and peer critiques for writers.  

Although Fight Club is an amazing work, Palahniuk deserves the most shouts for his numerous contributions.  Keep it up Chuck.

Catcher in the Rye

One of the greatest novels ever written.  Given entire books based on dissecting this work, I won't attempt a review.  Just take note of Holden's sensitivity masked by his cynicism and despair.  The definitive work on self-doubt and attempting to find one's place in a harsh world.

Sound and The Fury

There are some passages that thrill, some that enrage, some that disgust, but few haunt as Quentin's first paragraph in the Sound and The Fury.  It is my favorite literary passage, and Tyler Nault, my protagonist in Solstice, references it.  Read it.  Then read it again.

"When the shadow of the sash appeared on the curtains it was between seven and eight o'clock and then I was in time again, hearing the watch.  It was Grandfather's and when Father gave it to me he said, Quentin, I give you the mausoleum of all hope and desire; it's rather excruciating-ly apt that you will use it to gain the reducto absurdum of all human experience which can fit your needs no better than it fitted his or his father's.  I give it to you not that you may remember time, but that you may forget it now and then for a moment and not spend all your breath trying to conquer it.  Because no battle is ever won he said. They are not even fought. The field only reveals to man his folly and despair, and victory is an illusion of philosopher's and fools."

Pugilist at Rest

The first stories from this collection were printed in the early 90's, and suddenly every where you turned there was another Thom Jones story.  From janitor to literary star seemingly overnight, some dismissed him as a flavor of the month.  Unbeknownst to most, Thom had been laboring at the craft for over twenty years.  At the time, I was writing seriously, studying, workshopping, and these stories illuminated the impact of angry, manic characters armed with original voices.  There is no way to overstate the impact of Thom Jones on my writing, or to properly credit his impact on the short story form.  He is without question one of the best short story writers, ever.

Unfortunately, Thom has only published three collections in fifteen years.  I read that he is suffering from health problems.  Let's hope he heals up and delivers another collection soon.

Check his work here.