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professional_malefail's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
futurama1979's review against another edition
5.0
i feel i have nothing of meaning to say that hasn't been said better by the text or by Cooper elsewhere. this book stunned me like everything i've read by him. his understanding of and relationship with structure is incredible to see. the way he structured this one was so incredibly suited to both his content and storytelling strengths. each of those three aspects seamlessly bolstered each other to produce a fucking insanely crafted narrative. it felt really balanced for a Cooper novel, in perspective, in voice, there was quite literally a moderator of the book's discussion who would help tie things together or weigh truths and compare. by some insanely good trick of craft this levelling actually upped the tension. now every truth and lie is on equal footing, now your closest-to-word-of-god figure is guessing at the same information you are. it's a cyclical book, starting when Brad was actually in southern California with the real 'Brian' and ending with them both actually having given up and moved on and in Brad's case survived the book, and a new Brad and Brian doing it over one or several steps further removed from reality.
to me there was a real element of metatextual commentary on the George Miles cycle in the themes of the Sluts that made it both heavier and more heartfelt. Cooper's ability to dissect and reconstruct his own psyche leading to moral arguments played out over message boards on escort sites, in conflicting reviews; more strongly than in any books in the actual cycle besides maybe [b:Try|51594|Try|Dennis Cooper|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1328185126l/51594._SX50_.jpg|841648], there is a clear devil's advocate moral voice in the midst of violent fantasy: this is wrong, and i want to save that boy. there is also the closure element, the fact that 'Brian' successfully let Brad go. in the context of George Miles, this passage in Brian's last post stands out: Of course I knew Brad, and you didn't. Brad was just your idea, and I guess you think he's a great idea. He may be a great idea, but Brad himself is just a kid who got drafted into the job of representing an idea. Now Brad is just a name. You don't even know who it belongs to anymore. i guess reading this book gave me closure on the cycle in a way too.
the last thing i wanted to say is the portrayal of Brad's bipolar shit rang so brutally true at least in my personal experience. Cooper has a solid understanding of it and doesn't pussy around writing it.
to me there was a real element of metatextual commentary on the George Miles cycle in the themes of the Sluts that made it both heavier and more heartfelt. Cooper's ability to dissect and reconstruct his own psyche leading to moral arguments played out over message boards on escort sites, in conflicting reviews; more strongly than in any books in the actual cycle besides maybe [b:Try|51594|Try|Dennis Cooper|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1328185126l/51594._SX50_.jpg|841648], there is a clear devil's advocate moral voice in the midst of violent fantasy: this is wrong, and i want to save that boy. there is also the closure element, the fact that 'Brian' successfully let Brad go. in the context of George Miles, this passage in Brian's last post stands out: Of course I knew Brad, and you didn't. Brad was just your idea, and I guess you think he's a great idea. He may be a great idea, but Brad himself is just a kid who got drafted into the job of representing an idea. Now Brad is just a name. You don't even know who it belongs to anymore. i guess reading this book gave me closure on the cycle in a way too.
the last thing i wanted to say is the portrayal of Brad's bipolar shit rang so brutally true at least in my personal experience. Cooper has a solid understanding of it and doesn't pussy around writing it.
peytondani's review against another edition
5.0
i can’t emphasize the extremity of the sexual violence in this novel enough. it is honestly the worst that i could fathom in terms of how graphic and depraved it was. it was very hard to read and definitely had to put it down a few times, if you know nothing else going in, know this. this can easily be perceived as a flaw of the book, and i don’t entirely disagree, but for the thesis of this book, while i would never say it was necessary, i will say that it was functional.
overall, told in a series of online postings and reviews (basically the equivalent of a reddit forum) this book has zero omniscient narrator, no voice of reason or truth. this is where it’s genius lies. written in 2004, this novel was even ahead of its time in the consequences that ensue when a persona is co-opted by the internet, when an individual is depersonalized to the point of becoming legend, and when internet mythology directly results in real life violence.
overall, told in a series of online postings and reviews (basically the equivalent of a reddit forum) this book has zero omniscient narrator, no voice of reason or truth. this is where it’s genius lies. written in 2004, this novel was even ahead of its time in the consequences that ensue when a persona is co-opted by the internet, when an individual is depersonalized to the point of becoming legend, and when internet mythology directly results in real life violence.
booksofautumn's review against another edition
dark
funny
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
ezrasupremacy's review against another edition
3.0
i enjoyed this much more than i thought i would. this is the second of cooper’s works that i gave a try, with frisk being the first, which i ended up dnf-ing. i read this because the concept sounded really interesting and i’m a big sucker for books whose story is told through a different form of story-telling, so the reviews format really caught my interest.
overall it was really much better than expected, the reason why i dnf-ed frisk was because the writing style failed to keep me engaged, but in this book the fact that the writing feels so distanced and nonchalant made it so much better, because in the reviews it often gave off the feeling of rating a product rather than a person, which worked fantastically with the concept.
i think the fact that essentially all of it ended up not being real was actually perfect, because it almost makes it more realistic - i’m not gonna act like i have even the faintest bit of a clue of what the prostitution scene of the aughts in america was like, but i think i found it much more believable that many of the things described ended up being made up.
would i recommend this? i don’t think i know anyone personally who would enjoy this, but if you wanna start reading cooper’s works i feel like this may be a good place to start? haven’t looked into much besides frisk, but am going to consider doing so now.
overall it was really much better than expected, the reason why i dnf-ed frisk was because the writing style failed to keep me engaged, but in this book the fact that the writing feels so distanced and nonchalant made it so much better, because in the reviews it often gave off the feeling of rating a product rather than a person, which worked fantastically with the concept.
i think the fact that essentially all of it ended up not being real was actually perfect, because it almost makes it more realistic - i’m not gonna act like i have even the faintest bit of a clue of what the prostitution scene of the aughts in america was like, but i think i found it much more believable that many of the things described ended up being made up.
would i recommend this? i don’t think i know anyone personally who would enjoy this, but if you wanna start reading cooper’s works i feel like this may be a good place to start? haven’t looked into much besides frisk, but am going to consider doing so now.
aniya_'s review against another edition
challenging
dark
funny
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
loslibrosdecarangi's review against another edition
5.0
«No dejes de creer en mi, Brian. Sólo tuve un mal día.»
Vi este libro recomendado en Youtube y la persona que hablaba de él dijo “no voy a deciros qué temas trata. Simplemente no lo leáis si no tenéis un estómago fuerte”. Eso fue suficiente para que quisiera leérmelo.
Siempre ando buscando libros que, de alguna manera u otra, me vayan a impactar. Libros que hagan que ría, llore o, incluso, sienta ganas de vomitar, y este es uno de esos libros.
The Sluts cuenta la historia de Brad, un chico joven que se prostituye en EEUU. A lo largo del libro vemos que es una persona que está destinada a la perdición y que cree que es lo único que se merece, pero, ¿estamos hablando del verdadero Brad?
Para mí, el peso de este libro reside en la crítica y análisis que hace sobre Internet y sobre la veracidad de todo lo que podemos encontrar navegando. Lo único necesario para sembrar una semilla de duda sobre cualquier tema es que alguien, mienta o diga la verdad, cuelgue algo en internet acerca de ello y los lectores automáticamente se dividirán. Habrá gente que crea lo que lee y habrá otra que decida no hacerlo, pero el rumor ya ha sido expuesto.
Esto pasa en el libro. A través de reseñas en una página web de escorts masculinos vemos cómo los clientes de Brad relatan sus encuentros, todos muy parecidos pero, al mismo tiempo, todos completamente distintos. ¿A quién te crees?
En una historia llena de abusos de todo tipo, consumo de drogas, maltrato físico y psicológico, mentiras y verdades, etc., no creerte nada es la opción más segura, pero al mismo tiempo no puedes evitar decidir dar veracidad a algunas confesiones de aquellos que escriben en la web.
Además de sembrarte la duda sobre lo que lees en internet y hacer que ya no te vuelvas a fiar de nada ni nadie en la web, es un libro duro de leer. Empatizas con Brad aunque tu vida sea completamente distinta a la de él. El autor nos muestra a un joven, a veces adolescente y otras veces mayor de edad, que únicamente quiere ser amado, pero sus fantasmas del pasado, su estilo de vida y sus adicciones hacen que, involuntariamente, abuse de la hospitalidad y la buena fe de aquellos que quieren ayudarle desinteresadamente, y que se entregue de manera completa a aquellos otros que quieren abusar de su vulnerabilidad. Da pena pensar que hay chicos y chicas en el mundo real que se parecen a Brad, y que no tendrán la suerte de ser un personaje de ficción como lo es él.
¿Recomiendo el libro? Sí.
¿Se lo recomiendo a cualquiera? No.
Debéis estar seguros de tener un estómago fuerte, porque hay ciertas escenas que te dejarán tocado. Merece la pena leerlo si os gustan los libros bizarros y si os gusta, en cierta manera, el terror cibernético.
Vi este libro recomendado en Youtube y la persona que hablaba de él dijo “no voy a deciros qué temas trata. Simplemente no lo leáis si no tenéis un estómago fuerte”. Eso fue suficiente para que quisiera leérmelo.
Siempre ando buscando libros que, de alguna manera u otra, me vayan a impactar. Libros que hagan que ría, llore o, incluso, sienta ganas de vomitar, y este es uno de esos libros.
The Sluts cuenta la historia de Brad, un chico joven que se prostituye en EEUU. A lo largo del libro vemos que es una persona que está destinada a la perdición y que cree que es lo único que se merece, pero, ¿estamos hablando del verdadero Brad?
Para mí, el peso de este libro reside en la crítica y análisis que hace sobre Internet y sobre la veracidad de todo lo que podemos encontrar navegando. Lo único necesario para sembrar una semilla de duda sobre cualquier tema es que alguien, mienta o diga la verdad, cuelgue algo en internet acerca de ello y los lectores automáticamente se dividirán. Habrá gente que crea lo que lee y habrá otra que decida no hacerlo, pero el rumor ya ha sido expuesto.
Esto pasa en el libro. A través de reseñas en una página web de escorts masculinos vemos cómo los clientes de Brad relatan sus encuentros, todos muy parecidos pero, al mismo tiempo, todos completamente distintos. ¿A quién te crees?
En una historia llena de abusos de todo tipo, consumo de drogas, maltrato físico y psicológico, mentiras y verdades, etc., no creerte nada es la opción más segura, pero al mismo tiempo no puedes evitar decidir dar veracidad a algunas confesiones de aquellos que escriben en la web.
Además de sembrarte la duda sobre lo que lees en internet y hacer que ya no te vuelvas a fiar de nada ni nadie en la web, es un libro duro de leer. Empatizas con Brad aunque tu vida sea completamente distinta a la de él. El autor nos muestra a un joven, a veces adolescente y otras veces mayor de edad, que únicamente quiere ser amado, pero sus fantasmas del pasado, su estilo de vida y sus adicciones hacen que, involuntariamente, abuse de la hospitalidad y la buena fe de aquellos que quieren ayudarle desinteresadamente, y que se entregue de manera completa a aquellos otros que quieren abusar de su vulnerabilidad. Da pena pensar que hay chicos y chicas en el mundo real que se parecen a Brad, y que no tendrán la suerte de ser un personaje de ficción como lo es él.
¿Recomiendo el libro? Sí.
¿Se lo recomiendo a cualquiera? No.
Debéis estar seguros de tener un estómago fuerte, porque hay ciertas escenas que te dejarán tocado. Merece la pena leerlo si os gustan los libros bizarros y si os gusta, en cierta manera, el terror cibernético.
ribbenkast's review
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
This book is not for everyone, and definitely not for the faint of heart. People are quick to say that about a lot of horror, but this time please heed the warning.
However, I do have to give this book 5 ⭐️. It just does everything right. First there is the mystery: the book mainly consists of forum posts on an gay escort rating website in the early 2000's. There is no way to verify which accounts are real and which accounts are fake (even though the poor webmaster does try). Dennis Cooper does not take the reader by the hand. You have to do some detective work and decide for yourself what is real and what is fake.
Secondly, it uses gore and violence effectively within the story. (So many times in extreme horror, gore is just simply there for the shock value. I find that rather overdone and boring). Some of the described acts are so vile, I had to put the book down for a bit. Whether these things actually happened or whether these were just the perverted ramblings of someone getting their weird rocks off remains to be debated. (Although we get some answers in the end.)
When does a fantasy cross the line? What is ethical even if someone supposedly concented? It is a cruel account of what happens when people egg each other on to live their most perverted fantasies. This book written in 2004 is an important early conversation about Internet safety and mass delerium when people can hide in anonymity.
However, I do have to give this book 5 ⭐️. It just does everything right. First there is the mystery: the book mainly consists of forum posts on an gay escort rating website in the early 2000's. There is no way to verify which accounts are real and which accounts are fake (even though the poor webmaster does try). Dennis Cooper does not take the reader by the hand. You have to do some detective work and decide for yourself what is real and what is fake.
Secondly, it uses gore and violence effectively within the story. (So many times in extreme horror, gore is just simply there for the shock value. I find that rather overdone and boring). Some of the described acts are so vile, I had to put the book down for a bit. Whether these things actually happened or whether these were just the perverted ramblings of someone getting their weird rocks off remains to be debated. (Although we get some answers in the end.)
When does a fantasy cross the line? What is ethical even if someone supposedly concented? It is a cruel account of what happens when people egg each other on to live their most perverted fantasies. This book written in 2004 is an important early conversation about Internet safety and mass delerium when people can hide in anonymity.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Medical content, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Cancer, Alcohol, Murder, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Sexual violence, Stalking, Excrement, Gore, Slavery, Medical trauma, Physical abuse, Addiction, Death, Mental illness, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Self harm, Sexual harassment, Trafficking, Violence, Vomit, Body horror, Classism, Hate crime, Suicide attempt, Torture, Injury/Injury detail, Pregnancy, Rape, and Drug use
snailantix's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.25
zenjief's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.0