I love a good blog hop, 

and Deborah Nam-Krane's are the best.

This time, we're doing "Best Twists."

Since we're going to be talking about twists, the whole blog hop is going to be one big SPOILER ALERT!

So, if you're one of the three people who hasn't read or seen Fight Club, don't read this.  Trust me, it will ruin it for you.

Twists are what make a good story a great story, right?  Sure, not every story can or even should have a twist, but don’t you love getting that kick-in-the-gut feeling when the writer has totally pulled one over on you?

I’m a big fan of twists.  I try to incorporate a twist to the ending of every book I write, and that works well with mysteries.  When I read a book or watch a movie, I love to try to figure out whodunit, or at least what I think is going to happen throughout the course of the story.  I’ve gotten pretty good at “calling it” over the years, but some writers can and do fool me—which I love.

When I think of “best twists,” a lot of great books and movies come to mind—Gone Girl (of course), Girl on the Train, Shutter Island, The Uninvited, and The Sixth Sense, just to name a few.  It was difficult to choose one, but I’ve chosen the one that has always sort of haunted me and caused me to go back and think the most about how different the story would have been had you known all along what you found out at the end.  That story is Fight Club.  I watched the movie years ago, and I just finished the book version.  Both were great, and I honestly can’t say which I liked better.  Okay, maybe I can—Brad Pitt takes his shirt off A LOT in the movie.

Like here:

...and one more...

I will say that the twist in the movie happens a little more quickly than in the book.  The book more slowly rolls out the realization that the Narrator and Tyler Durden are one and the same.  Because of the quickness of the revelation in the movie, I’d say it had a more shocking effect than the book.  However—I knew the twist when I started reading the book, so I wasn’t exactly surprised when it happened.  And it’s really rather interesting how Chuck Palahniuk all but tells you they’re the same guy, with repeated lines like “I know this because Tyler knows this” and describing the way Tyler exits a room as “disappearing.” 

Whether you watch it or read it, Fight Club is a fantastic story, and the twist is epic.  Well, at least it would have been if I hadn’t just spoiled it for you.  I know, I know.  I just broke the first rule of Fight Club.  Whatever.

Join Aaron Deckard tomorrow as the Best Twist Blog Tour rolls on!  

Check Deb's blog for the full schedule!