Review: Rant: An Oral Biography of Buster Casey

• April 25, 2010
• James Skemp
• review

Rant, like the rest of Chuck Palahniuk's works of fiction, features sex, facts which may or may not be true, and distinctive characters.

However, while told in an interesting way, through the voices of over a dozen characters, Rant seems more of the same-old Chuck Palahniuk, and I fear I may have read the last of his work.

Rant tells the story of Buster "Rant" Casey from childhood on, through those who knew him by some means or another. While initially hard to get into, because of the many voices telling the story, and how some parts seem irrelevant, as it progresses it becomes easier to stick with it.

The story certainly reads like Palahniuk, requiring a bit more thought on the reader's part, then most books require, and even includes an interesting paradox at the end.

Unfortunately, having read all of his previous fiction, I couldn't find much in the way of new ideas, such as those that had invigorated me when I had read Fight Club and Lullaby, and which puts this in the small pile of books that I will not read again (4 star or higher).

The ideas are fresh for those who haven't seen them before, but otherwise Palahniuk offers nothing too special in this work, with the questionable factoids being the special part. Recommended for those who can't get enough of Palahniuk's works; for those new to him, or unsure, read one of his older, more popular works.

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