Scan barcode
A review by ojtheviking
Geek Love by Katherine Dunn
5.0
This was a fantastic read. Almost consistently a perfect blend of melancholy, humor, and absurdity. And the aforementioned humor is very much on the black comedy side of things. At its core, you could say that it's a study of the complicated and often dysfunctional relationships within a family, and the absurdity lies within how things that seem completely bizarre for some are perfectly normal, everyday life for one family.
This can be the truth for strange, yet ultimately harmless habits, but it also rings true for family dynamics that include things most people would consider very unhealthy. And in Katherine Dunn's book, some of this absurdity is thrown right in our faces to make some of us realize how strange the concept of family can really be.
Geek Love is such a well-written book, with an ensemble of unique and memorable characters, both within the traveling circus that the family of the main character runs - the Binewskis, to be exact - and the people these characters meet along the way, past and present.
At the beginning of the book, we jump a little bit forth and back between the main character's childhood and her present life, but overall, a large portion of the story involves her life with the traveling circus. And it's the type of circus that's also a freak show, so you have performers with various types of physical disabilities and functionalities, which is why some of the characters involved are as unique and memorable as they are.
Simply put, to avoid spoiling too much of the general plot, this is a book where the most absurd scenarios are presented as the most normal ones, via the Binewski family. Physical abnormalities are a thing of pride for them, as this is something that will attract an audience to their shows. Their investment in this is so strong, that Mama and Papa Binewski deliberately produce children with physical abnormalities. But there is a blinding bias there, which shows how easily the self-centered, jealous arrogance of a hero could turn them into a tyrant, which in return transforms them into a cult leader. And boy, what a unique cult it is! I will not spoil this part in any way, as it has you'll have to read it to fully understand how such a cult can emerge into existence.
Along the way, we also get glimpses into the main character's present time, as mentioned. For a long time, these parts of the book seem very detached from the storyline taking place in the past, but intentionally so, as the past and the present will come together in a logical way eventually; including a fairly explosive turn of events that changes everything in the blink of a moment, like something taken straight out of a Stephen King novel.
The circumstances in the present storyline also have their share of absurdities, such as three characters living in the same apartment building with only one of them being aware that they are all related. And there's also a more modern focus on physical abnormalities, almost in a slightly more fetishized way, with the freak show circus being replaced by a shady strip club.
Ultimately, this book examines the duality of family life. No matter how normal or eccentric a family is, the ties that bind the family members together can also lead to a paradoxical sense of loneliness. Both in the past and the present, the main character is stuck in a pattern of sticking with her family first and foremost, which she in many ways appreciates, mostly because of the aforementioned sense of normalcy within any family's routines; for her, it's always been that way, which is what we all tend to tell ourselves sometimes. But simultaneously, there seems to be a constant longing for something else, something that she doesn't directly give much thought to, but rather just a feeling deep down that things could have been different, like a fleeting "what if."
I also appreciate that in the everyday world of a group of freak show performers, the outside world is where the true freaks are. Normal people walking around being so disgustingly normal, poking their noses where they don't belong, obliviously displaying their prejudice towards anything that's different and unknown. And there are genuine moments where you are tempted to think that the Binewskis understand family life much better than anyone else out there among the normies. At least with regard to loyalty.
However, there are turns of events that also make it clear that they have very different boundaries than elsewhere in society. And these are the moments where Dunn's writing shines really strong. She can describe a scenario that could be very off-putting in any other context, but describes it in such a matter-of-factly way due to this story being told in first person by one of the Binewskis, that it somehow is a bit more forgivable, at least in the sense that you understand this is no big deal in the life of a Binewski. The biggest moments of betrayal are whenever a Binewski has had any personal interactions with an outsider, a normie.
Basically, it could have been a much more controversial book due to some of the scenarios and elements described, but Katherine Dunn's skilled talent for storytelling, finding humor within the mobid, and beauty within what's otherwise perceived to be ugly, prevents it from being tasteless, and it is instead a very emotionally gripping story, one way or another from one moment to the next.
I've smiled, I've frowned, I've ached for some of the characters, I've cursed at the behavior of others, and ultimately, this book managed to capture me completely. In the description of the edition I was reading, there is a boasting list of name drops, mentioning celebrities who have claimed that this is one of their favorite books. And frankly, after having read it myself, I can understand them. Highly recommended.
This can be the truth for strange, yet ultimately harmless habits, but it also rings true for family dynamics that include things most people would consider very unhealthy. And in Katherine Dunn's book, some of this absurdity is thrown right in our faces to make some of us realize how strange the concept of family can really be.
Geek Love is such a well-written book, with an ensemble of unique and memorable characters, both within the traveling circus that the family of the main character runs - the Binewskis, to be exact - and the people these characters meet along the way, past and present.
At the beginning of the book, we jump a little bit forth and back between the main character's childhood and her present life, but overall, a large portion of the story involves her life with the traveling circus. And it's the type of circus that's also a freak show, so you have performers with various types of physical disabilities and functionalities, which is why some of the characters involved are as unique and memorable as they are.
Simply put, to avoid spoiling too much of the general plot, this is a book where the most absurd scenarios are presented as the most normal ones, via the Binewski family. Physical abnormalities are a thing of pride for them, as this is something that will attract an audience to their shows. Their investment in this is so strong, that Mama and Papa Binewski deliberately produce children with physical abnormalities. But there is a blinding bias there, which shows how easily the self-centered, jealous arrogance of a hero could turn them into a tyrant, which in return transforms them into a cult leader. And boy, what a unique cult it is! I will not spoil this part in any way, as it has you'll have to read it to fully understand how such a cult can emerge into existence.
Along the way, we also get glimpses into the main character's present time, as mentioned. For a long time, these parts of the book seem very detached from the storyline taking place in the past, but intentionally so, as the past and the present will come together in a logical way eventually; including a fairly explosive turn of events that changes everything in the blink of a moment, like something taken straight out of a Stephen King novel.
The circumstances in the present storyline also have their share of absurdities, such as three characters living in the same apartment building with only one of them being aware that they are all related. And there's also a more modern focus on physical abnormalities, almost in a slightly more fetishized way, with the freak show circus being replaced by a shady strip club.
Ultimately, this book examines the duality of family life. No matter how normal or eccentric a family is, the ties that bind the family members together can also lead to a paradoxical sense of loneliness. Both in the past and the present, the main character is stuck in a pattern of sticking with her family first and foremost, which she in many ways appreciates, mostly because of the aforementioned sense of normalcy within any family's routines; for her, it's always been that way, which is what we all tend to tell ourselves sometimes. But simultaneously, there seems to be a constant longing for something else, something that she doesn't directly give much thought to, but rather just a feeling deep down that things could have been different, like a fleeting "what if."
I also appreciate that in the everyday world of a group of freak show performers, the outside world is where the true freaks are. Normal people walking around being so disgustingly normal, poking their noses where they don't belong, obliviously displaying their prejudice towards anything that's different and unknown. And there are genuine moments where you are tempted to think that the Binewskis understand family life much better than anyone else out there among the normies. At least with regard to loyalty.
However, there are turns of events that also make it clear that they have very different boundaries than elsewhere in society. And these are the moments where Dunn's writing shines really strong. She can describe a scenario that could be very off-putting in any other context, but describes it in such a matter-of-factly way due to this story being told in first person by one of the Binewskis, that it somehow is a bit more forgivable, at least in the sense that you understand this is no big deal in the life of a Binewski. The biggest moments of betrayal are whenever a Binewski has had any personal interactions with an outsider, a normie.
Basically, it could have been a much more controversial book due to some of the scenarios and elements described, but Katherine Dunn's skilled talent for storytelling, finding humor within the mobid, and beauty within what's otherwise perceived to be ugly, prevents it from being tasteless, and it is instead a very emotionally gripping story, one way or another from one moment to the next.
I've smiled, I've frowned, I've ached for some of the characters, I've cursed at the behavior of others, and ultimately, this book managed to capture me completely. In the description of the edition I was reading, there is a boasting list of name drops, mentioning celebrities who have claimed that this is one of their favorite books. And frankly, after having read it myself, I can understand them. Highly recommended.