Rant: An Oral Biography of Buster Casey

Any story of a young boy nicknamed after the sound of children vomiting is sure to be an odd one. Buster “Rant” Casey redefines odd. The title character of Chuck Palahniuk’s eighth novel gets off on having animals bite and infect him with various diseases. Rant, a “superspreader” of rabies, also dates a disfigured prostitute and enjoys playing underground games where the object is to crash your car into other players. Beneath the blood and other bodily fluids, Palahniuk’s tale examines arguably the worst disease of all: the human condition. Once again, the Fight Club author has crafted a cult novel that holds up a fun house mirror to society. With a conclusion that calls into question not only identity and reality but also the very novel itself, the whole thing works perfectly.