Palahniuk’s stimulating Rant
by Amy Paterson
There is nothing better than an unconventional novel to liberate your imagination from the routine of everyday life. Writer Chuck Palahniuk allows you to do just that.
Most widely known as the author of Fight Club, Palahniuk will make you think twice before you buy another standard, linear, predictable novel.
His writing style is fresh and has a touch of ironic black humour to compliment his bizarre and fact-filled works. His latest novel Rant, the first in a three-part series, is no exception, and it takes the form of an oral history of Buster ‘Rant’ Casey.
Rant follows the events of Rant Casey’s life through detailed fictional interviews by an assortment of characters that share their thoughts of this odd young man.
Rant begins his life in a small but peculiar country town. His quest for real thrills results in a variety of childhood stories that one wouldn’t want to be telling their grandchildren in years to come.
Casey seeks pleasure in black widow spider bites, something many of us would consider painfully unappealing, because of the priapic effects of its venom. Don’t be alarmed if the term priapic isn’t familiar, especially when used in conjunction with a spider bite; it is just another of Palahniuk’s strange but fascinating facts that he does well to humorously explain.
Casey escapes his hometown for the city where he becomes the leader of an extremely unique pastime - an urban demolition derby called Party Crashing. It’s while party crashing that Casey meets three friends who, after his heroic death, collate the testimony of his life. But fear not, for his death isn’t a big surprise, so no spoilers here.
Like many of Palahniuk’s novels, the narrative starts at the temporal end, and the events that lead up to Casey’s death are recounted in the past tense.
Rant is a stimulating fiction novel that excites not only the imagination, but factual realms as well.
Amongst Palahniuk’s creative descriptions of the fictional Rant Casey and the events in his life, he includes little facts that he has researched extensively and are really true.
Palahniuk is able to make the implausible, plausible. If you are a purely literal thinker however, I advise you to stay clear of this one, because the events and ideas are too farfetched for a non-fiction lover.
For those that enjoy the extraordinary and are willing to stretch the imagination, it’s a book you will read in no time at all as it will entice you to just keep on reading.