Book Review: Chuck Palahniuk's, "Rant"

It’s true…I’m such a fan of Chuck Palahniuk that even if he squatted over my open mouth and deposited a chocolate, cigar-shaped, sewer serpent into my open mouth, I’d exclaim, “Thank you sir, may I have another.” with a literal shit eating grin emblazoned across my face.

Luckily, for me, the new novel, “Rant” from “Fight Club” author, Chuck Palahniuk is far from stinky turd level. It’s more like a chicken pot pie served to a third grader…expected to be one thing at first, and as soon as the crust is broken into, all sorts of tasty unexpected surprises are discovered.

Written in the style of an oral biography, it’s the story of Buster “Rant” Casey, a small town boy who grows up to be a “patient zero” of sorts in spreading a plague of rabies nationwide. It’s set in a future, where the world is divided into Daytimers and Nighttimers, where, if you stay out past your curfew, it could result in an untimely demise. In this same future, recreational demolition derbies on city streets is a sport called Party Crashing. Strap a lit Christmas tree to the roof of your car, or write “Just Married” all over your car windows and you too could be a Party Crash participant.

Rant is an interesting character with an affection for insect, mammal and reptile bites, wiping boogers on his bedroom walls and a sense of smell so strong, he can tell what his lover had for dinner the night before just by going down on her.

I would be lying if I didn't admit that the oral biography style was a tad bit distracting, and when the time-travel aspect raised its futuristic head, it got me a little confused.. This confusion might've easily been avoided had I read the book jacket. (If a book comes out by any of my tried and true favorite authors, I rarely read the book jacket. I prefer to discover the storyline one page at a time. In the case of “Rant”, it might’ve helped make things a little more clear as the story moved along.)

Bottom line: the book is a good one. If you're already a fan of Chuck's, I’m preaching to the choir. You own this shit already. If you've never read Chuck, pick it up and dive right in. You won’t be disappointed.