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3.87 AVERAGE
3.87 AVERAGE
Non-challenge:
It's a good sign that once I put a book down, I don't stop thinking about it. When I can still feel and smell the atmosphere that the book's world finds me. This one definitely had that impression on me. The characters were as real as anything in my own world. All with flaws and redeeming qualities, ugliness and beauty. The prose itself leapt from sophisticated to amateur very quickly, and the perspective as well. That's really my only criticism. But I'll miss the Binewski world for now.
It's a good sign that once I put a book down, I don't stop thinking about it. When I can still feel and smell the atmosphere that the book's world finds me. This one definitely had that impression on me. The characters were as real as anything in my own world. All with flaws and redeeming qualities, ugliness and beauty. The prose itself leapt from sophisticated to amateur very quickly, and the perspective as well. That's really my only criticism. But I'll miss the Binewski world for now.
"Geek Love" is an incredibly unique book, which is very high praise for me. Of all things, it reminded me of "Dr. Bloodmoney," with its darkly powerful, phocomelic character (Arty) and "Midnight Alley," with its edgy carnival setting. And yet, "Geek Love" is somehow darker than both those books; and Dunn seems to ask much more of the reader, creating an implausible cult to focus her message, killing off her likeable characters, and bringing the book's two storylines (the past (the Binewski Fabulon) and the then-present (Oly living in Portland)) to a sudden, violent end.
I think the book is imperfect-- it stays too long in its middle part (in the past) and then rushes its final part; Dunn sometimes intentionally elides important points when building a scene (the seeming intentionality of her doing so doesn't make it good); and, although she does an excellent job making the past storyline inform the present one, I don't know that I ever really connected with, or cared about, the latter (it almost seems like two uneven, but well-told, parts).
But Dunn, quite simply, both makes the freaks normal, and makes that normalness dark. I think a lot of readers are probably drawn to the first point; having a protagonist that is not only not ashamed of being different, but insistently proud of it (so much she kills for it! so much Arty turns that difference into a violent, cynical power!) is unexpectedly unusual. There should be more fictional characters like Oly and the rest of the Binewskis. That said, I was just as much interested in the second point--Dunn cuts off limbs, creates 26lb newborns, lobtomizes major characters, and then kills the rest, all the while maintaining the same tone. I think a lot of readers might find that frustrating, but I kind of admired the intentionality of it.
I think the book is imperfect-- it stays too long in its middle part (in the past) and then rushes its final part; Dunn sometimes intentionally elides important points when building a scene (the seeming intentionality of her doing so doesn't make it good); and, although she does an excellent job making the past storyline inform the present one, I don't know that I ever really connected with, or cared about, the latter (it almost seems like two uneven, but well-told, parts).
But Dunn, quite simply, both makes the freaks normal, and makes that normalness dark. I think a lot of readers are probably drawn to the first point; having a protagonist that is not only not ashamed of being different, but insistently proud of it (so much she kills for it! so much Arty turns that difference into a violent, cynical power!) is unexpectedly unusual. There should be more fictional characters like Oly and the rest of the Binewskis. That said, I was just as much interested in the second point--Dunn cuts off limbs, creates 26lb newborns, lobtomizes major characters, and then kills the rest, all the while maintaining the same tone. I think a lot of readers might find that frustrating, but I kind of admired the intentionality of it.
I just read this book for the third time and realized I have never reviewed it. It is easily one of my favorite books and it is difficult to put down words for it. The story is heavy and it consumes you. It is strange, dark, and unsettling. Most of the characters are not particularly likable, but they are entirely fascinating. This book leaves me with a profound sadness, a feeling I search for in other books and rarely find.
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
dark
mysterious
tense
challenging
dark
medium-paced
Disturbing, strange, and unlike anything else I’ve read. Not sure I enjoyed it per se, but worth reading.
dark
tense
slow-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:
No
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes