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Rasputin Swims the Potomac
From the award-winning, bestselling author of Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk comes a biting satire of American politics and a searingly intelligent novel about the cruel absurdities of contemporary life, centering on a world champion professional wrestler with presidential ambitions
Reporter Clarence Thomas Jr. is looking for a great story, former country music teen star Faith Spack has parlayed her fame into a job at the White House, and the two-term incumbent president is campaigning for a constitutionally dubious third term.
After an outbreak at a campaign rally, a mysterious new pandemic of “weeping sickness” sweeps the nation, threatening the president’s hold on the Oval Office. Desperate to retain power, he enlists the mystical pro wrestler Rasputin to help ensure his reelection and guarantee additional seasons of his presidential reality TV show, The Real West Wing.
But as Rasputin’s appeal threatens to exceed the president’s, and the wrestler’s supposedly supernatural powers start to seem like the real thing, the campaign finds itself trapped in a spandex-clad destiny no number of executive orders can control, one in which both Clarence and Faith are compelled to play increasingly large parts.
Hilarious, compelling, and tragically relevant, Rasputin Swims the Potomac is both an escape and a warning, a scathing satire that explores the twists and turns of American democracy as it hurtles toward authoritarianism.
Reporter Clarence Thomas Jr. is looking for a great story, former country music teen star Faith Spack has parlayed her fame into a job at the White House, and the two-term incumbent president is campaigning for a constitutionally dubious third term.
After an outbreak at a campaign rally, a mysterious new pandemic of “weeping sickness” sweeps the nation, threatening the president’s hold on the Oval Office. Desperate to retain power, he enlists the mystical pro wrestler Rasputin to help ensure his reelection and guarantee additional seasons of his presidential reality TV show, The Real West Wing.
But as Rasputin’s appeal threatens to exceed the president’s, and the wrestler’s supposedly supernatural powers start to seem like the real thing, the campaign finds itself trapped in a spandex-clad destiny no number of executive orders can control, one in which both Clarence and Faith are compelled to play increasingly large parts.
Hilarious, compelling, and tragically relevant, Rasputin Swims the Potomac is both an escape and a warning, a scathing satire that explores the twists and turns of American democracy as it hurtles toward authoritarianism.
416 pages, Hardcover
First published June 9, 2026
About the author
Ben Fountain
14 books411 followersBen Fountain's fiction has appeared in Harper's, The Paris Review, and Zoetrope: All Story, and he has been awarded an O. Henry Prize, two Pushcart Prizes, and the PEN/Hemingway Award. He lives with his wife and their two children in Dallas, Texas.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 142 reviews
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Thank you Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for an ALC of Rasputin Swims the Potomac by Ben Fountain.
Honestly, as much as ADHD has been the bane of my existence over the years, I must say, there are some silver linings. It has led me on many great adventures in several different forms over the years. I really don't know what I was expecting when I saw this book. My squirrel brain saw the cover and went " ooouuuu yes please". I love history and have an unhinged addiction to word play and clever humor. Otherwise I went in as blind as could be. And, Oh. My. Gods.This was nothing short of a work of art! 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😭 Anyone, everyone, and their muther (not a typo) who isn't a part of the MAGA klan needs to read this!.. *the following is a statement of my PERSONAL beliefs, so PLEASE try to not stain your sorted whites if you feel differently.*.. You know when a situation gets SO bad and SO unfathomable, you feel as if all that's left to do is laugh? That's right around where we're at as a country and this is the laughter we all so desperately need! There is so much brilliance here picking out highlights would be next to impossible!
At first I was slightly hesitant when I started hearing how political it was. It's just not a preference of mine. I read for enjoyment and that's just not an enjoyable topic to me. Minus this baby, in every way shape and possible form! If I could serenade this little lady with The Only Exception by Paramore, I would. Thanks to this book from now to eternity I'm going to have to say "I don't like political reads, expect..." Get this man a job at The Onion ASAP!
Bravo!
Until next time,
Hades
🩵
Honestly, as much as ADHD has been the bane of my existence over the years, I must say, there are some silver linings. It has led me on many great adventures in several different forms over the years. I really don't know what I was expecting when I saw this book. My squirrel brain saw the cover and went " ooouuuu yes please". I love history and have an unhinged addiction to word play and clever humor. Otherwise I went in as blind as could be. And, Oh. My. Gods.This was nothing short of a work of art! 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😭 Anyone, everyone, and their muther (not a typo) who isn't a part of the MAGA klan needs to read this!.. *the following is a statement of my PERSONAL beliefs, so PLEASE try to not stain your sorted whites if you feel differently.*.. You know when a situation gets SO bad and SO unfathomable, you feel as if all that's left to do is laugh? That's right around where we're at as a country and this is the laughter we all so desperately need! There is so much brilliance here picking out highlights would be next to impossible!
At first I was slightly hesitant when I started hearing how political it was. It's just not a preference of mine. I read for enjoyment and that's just not an enjoyable topic to me. Minus this baby, in every way shape and possible form! If I could serenade this little lady with The Only Exception by Paramore, I would. Thanks to this book from now to eternity I'm going to have to say "I don't like political reads, expect..." Get this man a job at The Onion ASAP!
Bravo!
Until next time,
Hades
🩵
June 9, 2026
The only person unsurprised by the upcoming cage match on the White House lawn is Ben Fountain. His absurd new novel, Rasputin Swims the Potomac, is so timely it should win a Pulitzer Prize for Clairvoyance.
Timidity has long been the scourge of Trump satires. Even using Trump Math, it’s essentially impossible to inflate the president’s unpresidented inanity. One grasping parody after another has fallen short of the “short-fingered vulgarian,” either by curdling into frustrated rage or by shrinking next to some previously unfathomable corruption from the White House.
Fountain’s genius is to imagine the president being eclipsed by a new charlatan that Trump’s reign of chaos has prepared our weary country to crave. “We are living,” he writes, “in the era of the great spin-up, the mass unmooring of the American mind.”
In the opening pages of Rasputin Swims the Potomac, the Supreme Court has cleared the way for the president to run for a third term, and Congress is considering a bill to outlaw the Democratic Party. Victory seems secure until trouble erupts at an all-White MAGA rally. Suddenly, a psychic shockwave rips through the crowd. Supporters decked out in red, white, and blue begin crying hysterically, “dissolving in fits of violent tears.”
The “weeping sickness” has struck America with “mass incontinence of the tear ducts.” The grief is spreading fast.
A battalion of blathering cable news anchors, sociologists, psychiatrists, and brain specialists expound on this “behavioral deviation of....
You can read the rest of this review for free on Substack:
https://roncharles.substack.com/p/ben...
Timidity has long been the scourge of Trump satires. Even using Trump Math, it’s essentially impossible to inflate the president’s unpresidented inanity. One grasping parody after another has fallen short of the “short-fingered vulgarian,” either by curdling into frustrated rage or by shrinking next to some previously unfathomable corruption from the White House.
Fountain’s genius is to imagine the president being eclipsed by a new charlatan that Trump’s reign of chaos has prepared our weary country to crave. “We are living,” he writes, “in the era of the great spin-up, the mass unmooring of the American mind.”
In the opening pages of Rasputin Swims the Potomac, the Supreme Court has cleared the way for the president to run for a third term, and Congress is considering a bill to outlaw the Democratic Party. Victory seems secure until trouble erupts at an all-White MAGA rally. Suddenly, a psychic shockwave rips through the crowd. Supporters decked out in red, white, and blue begin crying hysterically, “dissolving in fits of violent tears.”
The “weeping sickness” has struck America with “mass incontinence of the tear ducts.” The grief is spreading fast.
A battalion of blathering cable news anchors, sociologists, psychiatrists, and brain specialists expound on this “behavioral deviation of....
You can read the rest of this review for free on Substack:
https://roncharles.substack.com/p/ben...
May 19, 2026
Very funny and over the top. To be honest, I bet I would have enjoyed this much more if we were not right in the midst of the horror that is the current administration. Too soon.
June 18, 2026
More of a 4.8, because I am not really sure where the ending took us and I have many unanswered questions. But the journey was break-neck speed hilarious and so on-the-nose. I’ve really been needing someone to give me a way to see the humor in our current situation.
In the category of “truth is stranger than fiction,“ the UFC cage fight on the White House lawn for someone’s 80th birthday last week comes in just a smidge crazier than the plot of this novel. Kudos to Ben Fountain for his precient imagination.
Have to add a shout-out to the old KLIF studio. That is the radio station I grew up with in my hometown of big D.
In the category of “truth is stranger than fiction,“ the UFC cage fight on the White House lawn for someone’s 80th birthday last week comes in just a smidge crazier than the plot of this novel. Kudos to Ben Fountain for his precient imagination.
Have to add a shout-out to the old KLIF studio. That is the radio station I grew up with in my hometown of big D.
May 27, 2026
The Supreme Court has eased the way for BLEEP to run for a third term, Congress is on the verge of outlawing the Democratic Party, and there’s a hit reality show called “The Real West Wing.” But, at BLEEP’s recent rallies, his loyal followers have been erupting into uncontrollable sobbing. The only person who has the power to Stop the Sob is a man who goes by the name Rasputin. He’s a wrestler who likes all things Russian so of course he’s invited to the Oval Office and asked to consult (ie stop any more outbreaks), enabling BLEEP to resume his political rallies.
The premise would be even funnier if it weren’t a waking nightmare! The satire is propelled by a young blonde assistant press secretary for BLEEP who is a former reality TV star and an older black reporter from Texas named Clarence Thomas Jr. Throughout the audiobook, the current president is referred to as BLEEP (the word bleep, not the sound), presumably to avoid reprisals. The narrator doesn’t go too far (or far enough) in mocking the president’s unhinged speechifying, but the thoughts and deeds are all there for easy comparison. Enjoyable (and scary).
My thanks to the author, publisher, @MacmillanAudio, and #NetGalley for early access to the audiobook of #RasputinSwimsthePotomac for review purposes. Publication date: 9 June 2026, just in time for the midterms…
The premise would be even funnier if it weren’t a waking nightmare! The satire is propelled by a young blonde assistant press secretary for BLEEP who is a former reality TV star and an older black reporter from Texas named Clarence Thomas Jr. Throughout the audiobook, the current president is referred to as BLEEP (the word bleep, not the sound), presumably to avoid reprisals. The narrator doesn’t go too far (or far enough) in mocking the president’s unhinged speechifying, but the thoughts and deeds are all there for easy comparison. Enjoyable (and scary).
My thanks to the author, publisher, @MacmillanAudio, and #NetGalley for early access to the audiobook of #RasputinSwimsthePotomac for review purposes. Publication date: 9 June 2026, just in time for the midterms…
July 13, 2026
I can only read one or two political satire books a year because the content can get old quick. This book is perfect though – witty, absurd, with a twist of magic. The audiobook is amazing too, Ron Butler sound JUST like President Bleep when he’s droning on about whatever he’s droning on about. He also emphasizes every typo in the press releases and it’s just absurdly hilarious!
America is beset by the weeping sickness, President Bleep wants to run for a third term, and a white house aide is trying to stand on her own merit. A professional wrestler, possibly Rasputin’s reincarnated spirit, or possibly some kind of antichrist, seems to be the best candidate to either run as VP or take down Bleep in the next election.
Throw in a Black reporter named Clarence Thomas (not, to be clear, the judge – yes he’s sure he’s not the judge), and you get multiple sides and angles of this sh!tshow as it unfurls. Clarence ended up being my favorite point of view!
I laughed, shook my head, laughed more, and had no f*cking idea what happened at the end, but the more I sit with it, the more I’m ok with how it ended! Rasputin got it in his head to swim 17 miles down the Potomac … But then what!? There’s so much random stuff in the book and you just have to read (or listen) to discover it!
1000% recommend the audiobook for anyone even slightly interested. If you dislike President Bleep, you might love this one, and I think it’s one of those rare audio performances that I’d recommend for getting the full effect!
America is beset by the weeping sickness, President Bleep wants to run for a third term, and a white house aide is trying to stand on her own merit. A professional wrestler, possibly Rasputin’s reincarnated spirit, or possibly some kind of antichrist, seems to be the best candidate to either run as VP or take down Bleep in the next election.
Throw in a Black reporter named Clarence Thomas (not, to be clear, the judge – yes he’s sure he’s not the judge), and you get multiple sides and angles of this sh!tshow as it unfurls. Clarence ended up being my favorite point of view!
I laughed, shook my head, laughed more, and had no f*cking idea what happened at the end, but the more I sit with it, the more I’m ok with how it ended! Rasputin got it in his head to swim 17 miles down the Potomac … But then what!? There’s so much random stuff in the book and you just have to read (or listen) to discover it!
1000% recommend the audiobook for anyone even slightly interested. If you dislike President Bleep, you might love this one, and I think it’s one of those rare audio performances that I’d recommend for getting the full effect!
May 31, 2026
Funny, timely, and (shudder) probably uncomfortably prescient.
June 19, 2026
I am something of a dogged loyalist to finishing a book, because even a story with a bad ending is better, in my mind, than a story without an ending.
Imagine my dismay when I arrive at the ending to find it has none. This is not some sort of “interpret as you will…” metaphorical cliffhanger, it just stops. It reads like a chapter got lost in the mail and no one noticed.
Did the editor fall asleep? Did the author?
The story is entertaining in the way that reality television is entertaining. The book simultaneously makes a spectacle of itself while looking down its proverbial nose at such diversions. It’s an easy read and who among us doesn’t love a little schadenfreude?
Though, I have to feel badly for poor Clarence, the reporter, because all of his dialogue and inner narrative read like the author wrote him during Fall term after discovering Baldwin over summer break.
Imagine my dismay when I arrive at the ending to find it has none. This is not some sort of “interpret as you will…” metaphorical cliffhanger, it just stops. It reads like a chapter got lost in the mail and no one noticed.
Did the editor fall asleep? Did the author?
The story is entertaining in the way that reality television is entertaining. The book simultaneously makes a spectacle of itself while looking down its proverbial nose at such diversions. It’s an easy read and who among us doesn’t love a little schadenfreude?
Though, I have to feel badly for poor Clarence, the reporter, because all of his dialogue and inner narrative read like the author wrote him during Fall term after discovering Baldwin over summer break.
July 19, 2026
I would like to thank the Just Dance 2 game for being the reason why this book caught my eye, because I can't read the title, see the cover without singing the song and doing the dance in my head.
Aside from that though, I knew this was going to be a joy from the first page when I saw President [Redacted] as the way this was actually presented. It is not subtle at all, in the best way possible; and I am absolutely both appalled and astounded at how horrifyingly realistic Ben Fountain was able to write the dialogue for the campaign speeches.
This has a very clear and obvious target market. And, if you are in that target market you will likely enjoy this and I suggest going in blind. My only complaint is that the end didn't feel like an end. To the extent that I questioned for a moment whether my copy was missing pages.
Aside from that though, I knew this was going to be a joy from the first page when I saw President [Redacted] as the way this was actually presented. It is not subtle at all, in the best way possible; and I am absolutely both appalled and astounded at how horrifyingly realistic Ben Fountain was able to write the dialogue for the campaign speeches.
This has a very clear and obvious target market. And, if you are in that target market you will likely enjoy this and I suggest going in blind. My only complaint is that the end didn't feel like an end. To the extent that I questioned for a moment whether my copy was missing pages.
May 31, 2026
I read an ARC provided by Netgalley*
The premise of this book piqued my interest but I really had no idea how enthralling and eerily parallel to real life this book would end up being. I truly enjoyed reading it from start to stop. If you are not a fan of Donald Trump then you will love this book as well. Rasputin stealing Melania from Donny was the icing on the cake. A couple of things I wish had gone differently:
- I wish Faith had taken back some of her own agency and leaked all of the trash and filth she had on both campaigns. I know we aren’t really supposed to like her, but I wish she would have had a different type of ending.
- Harvey should have died lol idc he sucks. Of course he doesn’t worry about birth control that’s silly women’s problems /s
- I think they really should have killed Rasputin at the end. It would have been interesting to martyr him in that way.
Clarence was the best, I enjoyed his POVs the most. I highly recommend reading this. I liked it so much I bought my own physical copy to keep.
The premise of this book piqued my interest but I really had no idea how enthralling and eerily parallel to real life this book would end up being. I truly enjoyed reading it from start to stop. If you are not a fan of Donald Trump then you will love this book as well. Rasputin stealing Melania from Donny was the icing on the cake. A couple of things I wish had gone differently:
- I wish Faith had taken back some of her own agency and leaked all of the trash and filth she had on both campaigns. I know we aren’t really supposed to like her, but I wish she would have had a different type of ending.
- Harvey should have died lol idc he sucks. Of course he doesn’t worry about birth control that’s silly women’s problems /s
- I think they really should have killed Rasputin at the end. It would have been interesting to martyr him in that way.
Clarence was the best, I enjoyed his POVs the most. I highly recommend reading this. I liked it so much I bought my own physical copy to keep.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 11, 2026
Audiobook Review: Rasputin Swims the Potomac by Ben Fountain
Ben Fountain’s Rasputin Swims the Potomac drops us into a near-future America where a president, referred to in the audiobook as “Bleep,” pursues a questionable third term, a national crying epidemic spreads without explanation, and political reality has fully collapsed into performance. Journalist Clarence Thomas Jr. and White House staffer Faith Spack move through this environment as reluctant translators of chaos, still trying to treat events like they can be reported in a straight line. Into this system arrives Rasputin, a professional wrestler claiming mystical inheritance, who becomes less a disruption than a logical outcome of how the country already functions.
The novel is most effective when it focuses on Clarence and Faith as parallel forms of exhaustion. Clarence operates like someone who has watched language lose its grip on events, still committed to documentation even as meaning evaporates in real time. Faith, embedded inside the White House machine, understands the opposite problem: everything is already language, messaging, and damage control, with reality arriving only after it has been processed into something usable. Neither character is positioned as transformative. They are observers with diminishing leverage, which makes their perspective more credible than heroic.
Rasputin’s rise gives the satire its sharpest edge. He is less a person than a container for attention, absorbing public anxiety, media hunger, and political desperation into a single spectacle that no institution can quite classify. Fountain is clearly interested in how quickly seriousness collapses when everything is competing for visibility, and how authority begins to resemble entertainment once enough people agree to treat it that way. The humor lands hardest in institutional responses, where officials attempt to manage increasingly surreal events using the same tired vocabulary of messaging, optics, and control.
The audiobook intensifies this effect through performance choices that emphasize mediation over immediacy. The rendering of the president as “Bleep” becomes more than a gag, turning political speech itself into something partially censored, partially stylized, and constantly filtered through broadcast logic. It makes the whole novel feel like it is already being processed for public consumption as it unfolds. By the end, the satire does not rely on escalation so much as recognition. The unsettling part is not how strange it becomes, but how little strain it takes to believe it already is.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC. This is my honest and voluntary review.
Ben Fountain’s Rasputin Swims the Potomac drops us into a near-future America where a president, referred to in the audiobook as “Bleep,” pursues a questionable third term, a national crying epidemic spreads without explanation, and political reality has fully collapsed into performance. Journalist Clarence Thomas Jr. and White House staffer Faith Spack move through this environment as reluctant translators of chaos, still trying to treat events like they can be reported in a straight line. Into this system arrives Rasputin, a professional wrestler claiming mystical inheritance, who becomes less a disruption than a logical outcome of how the country already functions.
The novel is most effective when it focuses on Clarence and Faith as parallel forms of exhaustion. Clarence operates like someone who has watched language lose its grip on events, still committed to documentation even as meaning evaporates in real time. Faith, embedded inside the White House machine, understands the opposite problem: everything is already language, messaging, and damage control, with reality arriving only after it has been processed into something usable. Neither character is positioned as transformative. They are observers with diminishing leverage, which makes their perspective more credible than heroic.
Rasputin’s rise gives the satire its sharpest edge. He is less a person than a container for attention, absorbing public anxiety, media hunger, and political desperation into a single spectacle that no institution can quite classify. Fountain is clearly interested in how quickly seriousness collapses when everything is competing for visibility, and how authority begins to resemble entertainment once enough people agree to treat it that way. The humor lands hardest in institutional responses, where officials attempt to manage increasingly surreal events using the same tired vocabulary of messaging, optics, and control.
The audiobook intensifies this effect through performance choices that emphasize mediation over immediacy. The rendering of the president as “Bleep” becomes more than a gag, turning political speech itself into something partially censored, partially stylized, and constantly filtered through broadcast logic. It makes the whole novel feel like it is already being processed for public consumption as it unfolds. By the end, the satire does not rely on escalation so much as recognition. The unsettling part is not how strange it becomes, but how little strain it takes to believe it already is.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC. This is my honest and voluntary review.
June 11, 2026
As someone who is not thrilled by the current state of politics, I was hesitant to read a political book, but after seeing other reviews decided to give it a try and I really enjoyed this!
Not-so-disguised President Bleep is running for a third term, but when a “weeping sickness” overtakes the nation, he calls to his friend, pro wrestler Rasputin for help. Rasputin believes himself to be The Rasputin Himself reincarnated, and later decides to run for president as well…
Our narrators are a minor celebrity named Faith, who is one of Bleep’s staffers, and a retired-professor-turned-reporter named Clarence Thomas (not to be confused with the other guy) who unwittingly becomes Rasputin's confidant.
The narrator is entertaining, and his Bleep impression is accurate enough to be amusing (but not so accurate that you can't stand to listen to it). My favorite bits are when he's reading misspelled memos and sounding confused as to what they're trying to say.
This book is a wild adventure and with as…. interesting….as the news has been lately it might not be too far off the mark, despite being a satire. However, it was super enjoyable the whole way through and I look forward to reading more of Ben Fountain's work. Thank you very much to NetGalley and Macmillan for the ALC and the opportunity to provide my honest thoughts.
Not-so-disguised President Bleep is running for a third term, but when a “weeping sickness” overtakes the nation, he calls to his friend, pro wrestler Rasputin for help. Rasputin believes himself to be The Rasputin Himself reincarnated, and later decides to run for president as well…
Our narrators are a minor celebrity named Faith, who is one of Bleep’s staffers, and a retired-professor-turned-reporter named Clarence Thomas (not to be confused with the other guy) who unwittingly becomes Rasputin's confidant.
The narrator is entertaining, and his Bleep impression is accurate enough to be amusing (but not so accurate that you can't stand to listen to it). My favorite bits are when he's reading misspelled memos and sounding confused as to what they're trying to say.
This book is a wild adventure and with as…. interesting….as the news has been lately it might not be too far off the mark, despite being a satire. However, it was super enjoyable the whole way through and I look forward to reading more of Ben Fountain's work. Thank you very much to NetGalley and Macmillan for the ALC and the opportunity to provide my honest thoughts.
Did Not Finish
July 17, 2026I liked it. It's just that I'm moving into a new BOOK STAGE OF LIFE. I'm thinking I want to devote my time to books that suck me in and that I'm not just reading to appreciate the aesthetics or that I'm reading because I missed them in college. (This stage might not last, but who knows?)
I also put down Doystoyevsky's THE IDIOT. Bad move?
I also put down Doystoyevsky's THE IDIOT. Bad move?
July 28, 2026
American political satire that had me snickering the entire book. I needed a good palette cleanser and this was perfect. The audio format was perfect for the Russian accent! Also- although this was supposed to be full of preposterous moments and far fetched possibilities, it all felt VERY possible to happen in our current political theater.
June 25, 2026
Went in blind and was instantly captivated; creative, clever, clairvoyant, highly entertaining but sadly bleep permeates every aspect of our lives, fortunately I didn't abandon the book instantly and grimaced and chuckled my way through in one sitting. 4.5-5
July 13, 2026
I appreciate what the author is doing here. It’s very clever. I read enough to see that much. I just don’t have time to finish what promised to be a hilarious satire.
August 9, 2026
All this would be more amusing if it wasn’t so terrifying.
Read
August 25, 2026Learned, again, overt satire is not for me.
August 22, 2026
Gonzo book. Starts off like a Hiaasen take on national politics and gets wilder from there. Two great characters keep it vaguely anchored. Would like to see that Russian Winter wrestling move!
July 18, 2026
Hhmm, not sure what to say. The premise sounded interesting, not sure how I feel about this farce/parody of current state.
September 3, 2026
I've read some pretty sharp pieces of satire in the last few years, but this one is truly brilliant. It's so spot-on it hurts.
I considered docking a star because of the abrupt ending and loose ends, but in the final analysis, the absurdity of the whole thing was so cathartic that I left the star in place!
I considered docking a star because of the abrupt ending and loose ends, but in the final analysis, the absurdity of the whole thing was so cathartic that I left the star in place!
June 9, 2026
Loved. Would have been 5 stars but I felt like we were missing something with the ending.
July 1, 2026
Could not read. The satire of the Trump presidency in all its horror is just not hilarious for me right now.
July 19, 2026
Fatally flawed right from the start because you can't successfully satirize something that is already a parody of itself.
July 8, 2026
2 this book was not it. I felt kind of blindsided by all the good reviews lowkey (red rising coded). It was an interesting concept. And I sort of expected it to spiral into chaos and hijinks, but it managed to stay just grounded enough to be treading water (haha get it). It literally quit in the middle of the story. It could have easily been a chapter break. Basically everything was left unresolved, which was just really annoying. Its never even explained if the magic was real?? WHAT??
Also wanted to say that the old man author clearly has a thing for younger women. Along with rasputins maidens, rasputin and FLOTUS, Faith and Clarence, Faith and Rasputin, Mike and Faith, Nelson and Emerald. Over and over again its actively mentioned that these women are younger but its fiiiiiine and its NEVER reversed. It just reads as kinda icky
Also wanted to say that the old man author clearly has a thing for younger women. Along with rasputins maidens, rasputin and FLOTUS, Faith and Clarence, Faith and Rasputin, Mike and Faith, Nelson and Emerald. Over and over again its actively mentioned that these women are younger but its fiiiiiine and its NEVER reversed. It just reads as kinda icky
June 18, 2026
I was hoping for a humorous diversion from the current state affairs, this was not it.
August 28, 2026
What a wild book! I don't think I've ever read something set in the very near future with tons of real people as characters. The specifics: Trump is seeking a 3rd term. That said, there are a number of things that nearly mirror the present, along with a dash of surreal mysticism. Fountain changes Trump to Bleep, which might initially be read as some kind of woke statement turning the name into a sort of Voldemort equivalent. I think the explanation is probably more functional, a way for Mr. Fountain to avoid a libel suite. And actually, the characterization of Trump comes off pretty balanced - highlighting some of the well-publicized shortcomings and soundbites while also giving him credit for his personable nature.
When you think of religion in America, no doubt a vision of conservative Christianity comes to mind. I appreciated the spiritual angle presented here via Rasputin. He starts out rooted in a sort of fundamentalist context, in a way that seems poised to highlight him as a far right pundit caricature. But as we progress through the book a deeper connection to the divine starts to shine through. It eventually becomes cult-like, and by the end of the novel his morality is really ambiguous. Maybe he is a Christlike figure, or maybe he's the antichrist. Either way, it was an excellent choice to have him sort of semi-signed up to run for president and catalyze his campaign by playing hard to get. The only person who can out-Trump Trump is someone who isn't really interested in doing so until it appears it's already happening.
I loved all the characters' relationships to this central charismatic figure. Nearly everyone has some notion of what Rasputin is that gets transformed in some way. Clarence's journey is the most winning; he never completely aligns with Rasputin but does come to have some affection for him. I wonder if his freezing episodes are meant to signal some sort of internal conflict with a degree of purity. Not like a moral superiority but maybe at least an admirable intention? If that's the case, though, I'm not sure it explains Faith's freezing...
There are so many loose ends here, in a way that prime this to be a great book club book. Where is Rasputin going? Is he the evil that Clarence's bizarro after-life cameo writers caution against? What gave him his mystical powers? Who hit Clarence on the head in the parking lot? What is the freezing about? Will journalism rise like a Phoenix in the form of small online-only outlets?! Despite or maybe because of these questions, I found the whole book to be deeply compelling. I didn't even touch on the bigger points of cultural critique - the increased violence in the background, the weeping sickness, the covert uprising against a 3rd term, Rasputin's evolving stance on female reproductive rights - and surely there's a lot more to explore there. I am a Ben Fountain convert, though, and I am excited to read more of his work (which often seems to live in this space of political social reflective satire).
When you think of religion in America, no doubt a vision of conservative Christianity comes to mind. I appreciated the spiritual angle presented here via Rasputin. He starts out rooted in a sort of fundamentalist context, in a way that seems poised to highlight him as a far right pundit caricature. But as we progress through the book a deeper connection to the divine starts to shine through. It eventually becomes cult-like, and by the end of the novel his morality is really ambiguous. Maybe he is a Christlike figure, or maybe he's the antichrist. Either way, it was an excellent choice to have him sort of semi-signed up to run for president and catalyze his campaign by playing hard to get. The only person who can out-Trump Trump is someone who isn't really interested in doing so until it appears it's already happening.
I loved all the characters' relationships to this central charismatic figure. Nearly everyone has some notion of what Rasputin is that gets transformed in some way. Clarence's journey is the most winning; he never completely aligns with Rasputin but does come to have some affection for him. I wonder if his freezing episodes are meant to signal some sort of internal conflict with a degree of purity. Not like a moral superiority but maybe at least an admirable intention? If that's the case, though, I'm not sure it explains Faith's freezing...
There are so many loose ends here, in a way that prime this to be a great book club book. Where is Rasputin going? Is he the evil that Clarence's bizarro after-life cameo writers caution against? What gave him his mystical powers? Who hit Clarence on the head in the parking lot? What is the freezing about? Will journalism rise like a Phoenix in the form of small online-only outlets?! Despite or maybe because of these questions, I found the whole book to be deeply compelling. I didn't even touch on the bigger points of cultural critique - the increased violence in the background, the weeping sickness, the covert uprising against a 3rd term, Rasputin's evolving stance on female reproductive rights - and surely there's a lot more to explore there. I am a Ben Fountain convert, though, and I am excited to read more of his work (which often seems to live in this space of political social reflective satire).
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 8, 2026
1. Subject Plot: An interesting read. A political satire, the book imagines the not so distant future where current President Trump, after winning a case before the US Supreme Court, seeks a third term. But then at his rallies, a "weeping" sickness starts to impact followers, where they burst into uncontrollable outburts of crying. The sickness appears to be spreading uncontrollably until, at a professional wrestling event, a wrestler, known as Rasputin, heals some individuals afflicted with the sickness. From there, Trump attempts to utilize Rasputin to continue his momentum from his third term. But Rasputin, always staying in his wrestling persona, begins to gather his own distinct and independent following that matches and possibly exceeds Trump's own. The story follows those events, delves into the surreal living arrangements of Rasputin and his emerging campaign, primarily through two characters - Faith Spack, a former TV star working with the Trump White House and later the Rasputin campaigh; and Clarence Thomas, Jr., a retired professor and now reporter for an online only daily.
2. Writing/Pace: The writing is very compelling. Perfect use of language multiple times in the book to effectively remind you that it is political satire. Solid pacing, the book never felt difficult to pick up and read, and was always absorbing when reading.
3. Miscellaneous Thoughts: A political satire is bound to invoke many thoughts. Fountain's choice to have every reference to President's Trump name (the Trump name itself) redacted, made for an interesting reading experience. Whether it was to reduce the power associated with the name, or to leaven the exhaustion of hearing the name, or something else, it was a constant "meta" reminder when reading of the power of language.
I also couldn't help thinking about the commentary of having a professional wrestler, staying in character, making a campaign run for President that was effective at capturing real momentum. For anyone who has read Postman, there's an idea transferable from his "Amusing Ourselves to Death" to modern society; this idea of how the dominant medium of the day impacts culture and ideas and thinking. Well, in the modern the world, the dominant medium is phones and social media, which depends so much on everyone grabbing attention and creating personal brands. The idea of an individual running for President, not as himself but as his wrestling persona, and having everyone eat it up, I think highlights an underlying absurdity to modern culture.
5. Final Thoughts: Very well written book simply from an amusement and enjoyability standpoint, and one that will continue to make think about the relationship between social media, modern culture, and how it all continues to impact our personal cognitive states and our greater society and world as well.
2. Writing/Pace: The writing is very compelling. Perfect use of language multiple times in the book to effectively remind you that it is political satire. Solid pacing, the book never felt difficult to pick up and read, and was always absorbing when reading.
3. Miscellaneous Thoughts: A political satire is bound to invoke many thoughts. Fountain's choice to have every reference to President's Trump name (the Trump name itself) redacted, made for an interesting reading experience. Whether it was to reduce the power associated with the name, or to leaven the exhaustion of hearing the name, or something else, it was a constant "meta" reminder when reading of the power of language.
I also couldn't help thinking about the commentary of having a professional wrestler, staying in character, making a campaign run for President that was effective at capturing real momentum. For anyone who has read Postman, there's an idea transferable from his "Amusing Ourselves to Death" to modern society; this idea of how the dominant medium of the day impacts culture and ideas and thinking. Well, in the modern the world, the dominant medium is phones and social media, which depends so much on everyone grabbing attention and creating personal brands. The idea of an individual running for President, not as himself but as his wrestling persona, and having everyone eat it up, I think highlights an underlying absurdity to modern culture.
5. Final Thoughts: Very well written book simply from an amusement and enjoyability standpoint, and one that will continue to make think about the relationship between social media, modern culture, and how it all continues to impact our personal cognitive states and our greater society and world as well.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Rasputin swims The Potomac by Ben Fountain, when the book starts the character XX who is also America’s president is giving a speech when people in the front row start weeping they’re crying others are beating them up, due to the fact XX called them agitators but he would soon learn just like the rest of the country that this is a phenomenon sweeping America the weeping that is. A black reporter named Clarence Thomas (no relation to the Supreme Court Justice) works for a very little funded online paper called “The Dallas Star” just so happened to be at the speech that night but moving on to the next morning this is when we meet another POV Faith Harris a former reality star and current media manager for the White House. In the beginning of the book Faith has a slight crush and lots of affection for XX, his kids not so much. so when she gets a text while on a first date telling her to get to the White House immediately, that’s exactly what she does. When she shows up she notices that XX and XX Junior are watching wrestling it seems they just saw Rasputin curing people of the weeping disease. With a hug and a few words everyone at the wrestling match was cured. This is why he tells Faith they must get Rasputin the wrestler to endorse XX but what Rasputin eventually does is not only not endorse him but actually run against him so the president goes from telling everyone what a great guy Rasputin is to what a horrible horrible man he is, that wrestling is fake and he’s not even really Russian. To top it off Rasputin is gonna swim from an island in the Pacific to the mainland and although his backers say he’s doing it to reinforce his faith because that’s what he did back in Russia when he was in the monastery. If you think this is enough for a plot well trust me there’s lots more and it is such a great book I gave this book 5 stars cause it hits all the notes that make a great book compelling writing and interesting plot a great momentum in this book is longer than an average book but I read it all in one city I did not want to put this book down at all it’s not only funny you can absolutely tell the author knew his subject it was just a great book a great awesome phenomenal well done fantastic better than anything else type of book I wish I could scream it from the rooftops I can’t believe there’s only 12 reviews on this great great book watch when it comes out and word-of-mouth gets around everyone’s gonna be talking about this book. #NetGalley, #TheBlindReviewer, #MyHonestReview,
July 17, 2026
Imagine a time in the very near future when SCOTUS has cleared the president to run for a third term. The president, called BLEEP here, is going full steam ahead. In a sort of foreshadowing of the UFC fight on the White House lawn, BLEEP gets all excited about a pro wrestler called Rasputin when the man not only wipes out his opponent, but cures dozens of attendees who succumb to the “weeping sickness” that is sweeping the nation. BLEEP decides that getting Rasputin on board, maybe even as his VP, can only help. But as with all things Trump, BLEEP’s plans tend to have results far from his intention.
The observations of the Bleep presidency and Rasputin come from two insiders. Faith Spack is a young veteran/survivor of a reality TV music show who is now a junior White House staffer. Clarence Thomas Jr. (no relation to the SCOTUS justice) is a longtime journalist who has risked his life around the world and is now the international news reporter for a small Dallas-based online newspaper. Clarence is one of the first to see the importance of Rasputin’s charisma and power, and gains an in at Rasputin’s compound through retired football player and wrestler, Bitsy, who acts as Rasputin’s factotum and takes to Clarence when he comes to the compound hoping for an interview.
This sets us up for a truly crazy campaign season—though not so crazy that you can’t imagine something much like it happening with the current president and his motley crew of sociopaths. Trump blurred the line between reality TV and reality, and this book continues down that path to wildly comic—but stomach-churningly plausible—effect.
I don’t know what possessed me to pick this book, since I can barely stand the reality of today’s administration. I was surprised how entertaining I found it, but I am a fan of Ben Fountain’s Billy Flynn’s Long Halftime Walk, so I probably shouldn’t have been by how well-written and entertaining it is. I can also recommend the audiobook, with all the voices being well rendered.
The observations of the Bleep presidency and Rasputin come from two insiders. Faith Spack is a young veteran/survivor of a reality TV music show who is now a junior White House staffer. Clarence Thomas Jr. (no relation to the SCOTUS justice) is a longtime journalist who has risked his life around the world and is now the international news reporter for a small Dallas-based online newspaper. Clarence is one of the first to see the importance of Rasputin’s charisma and power, and gains an in at Rasputin’s compound through retired football player and wrestler, Bitsy, who acts as Rasputin’s factotum and takes to Clarence when he comes to the compound hoping for an interview.
This sets us up for a truly crazy campaign season—though not so crazy that you can’t imagine something much like it happening with the current president and his motley crew of sociopaths. Trump blurred the line between reality TV and reality, and this book continues down that path to wildly comic—but stomach-churningly plausible—effect.
I don’t know what possessed me to pick this book, since I can barely stand the reality of today’s administration. I was surprised how entertaining I found it, but I am a fan of Ben Fountain’s Billy Flynn’s Long Halftime Walk, so I probably shouldn’t have been by how well-written and entertaining it is. I can also recommend the audiobook, with all the voices being well rendered.
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