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3.47 AVERAGE
3.47 AVERAGE
Kind of a weak ending, but there were some excerpts at times which made me think a little more about what I was reading:
"I guess I'm self-destructive. Except I don't see it that way. Because I tend to experience things, even weird things like violence, as forms of information about what or who I am physically."
"I'm pretty sure if I tore some guy open I'd know him as well as anyone could, because I'd have what he consisted of right there in my hands, mouth, wherever. Not that I know what I'd do with that stuff."
I liked seeing how much the snuff photograph incident affected Dennis and his perception of others, even if the images turned out to be fake. I thought the description of the photos at the beginning was cool, and the way it was re-worded with new context in the last chapter was interesting.
"I guess I'm self-destructive. Except I don't see it that way. Because I tend to experience things, even weird things like violence, as forms of information about what or who I am physically."
"I'm pretty sure if I tore some guy open I'd know him as well as anyone could, because I'd have what he consisted of right there in my hands, mouth, wherever. Not that I know what I'd do with that stuff."
I liked seeing how much the snuff photograph incident affected Dennis and his perception of others, even if the images turned out to be fake. I thought the description of the photos at the beginning was cool, and the way it was re-worded with new context in the last chapter was interesting.
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
It’s been awhile since I read the first book in the George Miles cycle. I had just read another Dennis Cooper book recently (My Loose Thread) and while I wasn’t a huge fan of that book, I knew that I wanted to continue reading more of his work. I love how Dennis Cooper’s novels are dark and depraved and explore a transgressive narrative to queer stories. This book in particular is a fucked up coming-of-age where the main character Dennis walks the fine line between death and desire. We see Dennis and how he slowly grew from a sexually curious boy into a sexually depraved man. The scenes of Dennis killing people were sick and nasty. There were so many scenes involving human faeces that I did not expect and it truly made me sick. I was fascinated by the darker underground world of men who were interested in snuff films and murder, a common narrative theme in Dennis Cooper’s novels. I liked the twist that there weren’t any real murders committed, just sick and macabre fantasies of a strange boy fascinated with death and recreating it. This was a strange novel, and I don’t understand how it’s connected to the previous book or the character of George Miles. Despite this, I was interested enough in this book to continue reading the next one eventually.
this was… a book. frisk investigates the tension between desire/fantasy and morality, but it seems that it is — first and foremost — a deeply personal exploration of cooper’s own violent impulses. i say that because i don’t think the violence was particularly generative, but rather a way for cooper to wade through his shit. which is fine! after reading the sluts though, i was expecting something broader behind the gratuitousness. i love the writing itself: the flat, utilitarian prose plays well with the numb, omniscient first person narration. by no means was this an enjoyable read, but cooper is a brilliant writer and a true tentpole of transgressive/experimental fiction.
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
No
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Better than Closer imo—still a kind of repetitive winding meditation on desire with a few moments where Cooper had something insightful to say about it.
dark
medium-paced
read through pretty fast up until that part. never want to read anything like this again. this amplified every negative emotion ive ever felt which is part of the point i guess