The Diceman – A short story / book review that spoils the plot

This book is like nothing you’ve read nor imagined… This story is to novels, what ‘Fight Club’ was to films… Have I sold it to you yet? Beautiful, read on…

This bizarre true story surrounds the life of Luke Rhinehart, a Doctor of Psychiatry struggling in an unhappy marriage coupled with the daily grind of a dull and boring life, listening to the same clients tell him about the same problems day after day. One night after going to bed at the same time as the previous five nights, Luke realised that his life continued in a routine of the same patterns each day so he decides to search for a more gratifying existence to spice up his life, in which he came upon the use of a dice to use that would randomly decide all of his future moves.

Using the die to decide all his decisions and actions, Luke found himself going to work in alternative modes of transport, eating different foods at different hours of the day, using sex as an option with his clients through his therapy sessions then began to take greater risks as he found a following of members interested to partake in ‘Diceplay’. Fast forward to the end, Luke ultimately left his marriage and his job at the direction of the die and was driven to the point of insanity where he ended up in a psych ward confined to the four walls.

On a personal note, while reading the book it hit me when I realised that I got out of bed at the same time, had a shower in which I started with the soap under my right armpit, followed by eating the same bowl of 5 weet bix with honey, then to brushing my teeth and then walking out the door to work. I realised that I was in a routine and afraid that I would wind up with a boring and unfulfilled life if I continued down this road, so I decided to experience with the dice… Thankfully I only used it on a few minor details and that I eventually woke up and realised that life is what I make of it… So this book was a good experience and I strongly recommend it!

‘Let the dice decide! This is the only path to liberation’ Luke Rhinehart