Since the book I am currently working on is taking me a little longer than usual (aka forever) to finish, I am cheating this week and posting a (late) review for a book I've already read. The only excuse I can offer (besides "it's Friday") is that this is an especially important book to me and I am confident that anyone with slightly off-kilter (or all together weird) tastes like mine will love it.
As I mentioned in my last book post, whenever someone recommends a book they think I will like, I am instantly curious (not even so much about the book as their perception of me and my tastes). So when the director of the psychology research lab I was working in handed me "Rant" and described it as something I would "get", I couldn't wait to tear into it. She was one of those women who you just really, really wanted to like and respect you. She was Italian, raised in Argentina, and spoke in a thick, bubbly accent. She had more degrees and publications by age 30 thank most people get in a lifetime. She wore funny t-shirts and had impeccable taste in movies and music (all of which she later shared with me, making my itunes catalogue, netflix queue, and wardrobe infinitely cooler). In short, I was pretty much in awe of her, and having her tell me I would "get" something she was into felt like instant validation. As a result, I probably would have forced myself to read the book no matter what, but lucky for me, her recommendation was spot on.
Describing a Palahniuk book is difficult. Their plots are usually twisted, complex, jumbled, and unabashedly strange (much like the author himself). Since "Rant", I have read a number of his other novels and they never disappoint (although this one in particular tops my favorites list, I think in large part because it was my introduction to his work). I can not give a "rave" enough review - do yourself (and your literary "coolness") a favor and check this out.
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