Rant by Chuck Palahniuk is a unique and unconventional novel that delves into themes of rabies, demolition style races, graphic sex, and time travel. Written in an oral history format, the story unfolds through a collection of interviews from various characters involved, offering different perspectives on the same events. Despite its unconventional structure, the book showcases great character development and explores a dystopian world where reality is twisted and surreal.

Characters:

Characters are portrayed through unreliable narratives, showcasing a range of eccentric personalities that reflect diverse societal perspectives.

Writing/Prose:

Palahniuk employs an oral history style with a darkly humorous and satirical tone, showcasing multiple narratives that can feel disjointed yet engaging.

Plot/Storyline:

The narrative is presented as an oral biography of Buster Rant Casey, featuring various characters' perspectives that reveal unexpected twists and societal themes.

Setting:

Set in a dystopian future, the story explores societal divides between Daytimers and Nighttimers, reflecting broader societal issues.

Pacing:

The pacing varies, starting off with a slow build-up that can initially confuse readers, but accelerates towards the end with rapid twists.

For me, I was sitting on an airplane, and some hillbilly sits down next to me. His skin, it’s the same as any car wreck you can’t not stare at—dented with tooth marks, pitted and puckered, the skin on...

Notes:

Rant is Chuck Palahniuk's first novel read in its entirety by a reviewer, who is a fan of his other works.

The novel takes a unique oral biography format, telling the story of Buster Rant Casey through multiple perspectives.

Rant explores themes of societal disillusionment similar to those in Fight Club.

It delves into bizarre aspects of the human experience, including a fascination with rabies and Party Crashing.

The story is set in a dystopian future where overpopulation has caused a split between Daytimers and Nighttimers.

Characters engage in a chaotic game called Party Crashing, which involves ramming cars into each other in a structured way despite its underground nature.

The main character, Rant, has a strange ability to detect people's past meals simply by smell.

The narrative structure is dense and fractured, requiring readers to pay close attention for a complete understanding.

Rant has been compared to the works of JG Ballard and Philip K. Dick because of its speculative nature.

The plot includes science fiction elements like time travel, which adds complexity and surprise to its unfolding.

Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings

Rant includes high content warnings for themes such as graphic violence, sexual content, disease transmission, and psychological distress.

From The Publisher:

Buster "Rant" Casey just may be the most efficient serial killer of our time. A high school rebel, Rant Casey escapes from his small town home for the big city where he becomes the leader of an urban demolition derby called Party Crashing. Rant Casey will die a spectacular highway death, after which his friends gather the testimony needed to build an oral history of his short, violent life. With hilarity, horror, and blazing insight, Rant is a mind-bending vision of the future, as only Chuck Palahniuk could ever imagine.

Ratings (34)

Incredible (14)
Loved It (11)
Liked It (6)
It Was OK (2)
Hated It (1)

Reader Stats (55):

Read It (35)
Want To Read (17)
Not Interested (3)

What can you read after
Rant?

See the list (100 books)

About the Author:

CHUCK PALAHNIUK is the author of fourteen novels-Beautiful You, Doomed, Damned, Tell-All, Pygmy, Snuff, Rant, Haunted, Diary, Lullaby, Choke, Invisible Monsters, Survivor, and Fight Club-which have sold more than five million copies altogether in the United States. He is also the…

Meet New Books is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a way for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to products and services on amazon.com and its subsidiaries.
When you click the Amazon link and make a purchase, we may receive a small commision, at no cost to you.

Rant

Chuck Palahniuk