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maggie_sotos 's review for:
Geek Love
by Katherine Dunn
I have to confess, my star rating on this one wavered between a 3 and a 4. This book had so much potential and build up, and I always felt on the edge of my seat. But somehow it fell just a touch short of my anticipation, and I'm not sure why.
First of all, the characters and premise are insanely great. Holy cow, did I love the depth and complexity of our main ensemble. I would pay to see this made into a good movie with good actors. The depths to which all of them sink is haunting.
But following the build up of the first half, the second half began to stall. Artie, with his cynicism and narcissism, had all the makings for a modern day Caligula. But then he somehow seemed to unravel into the realm of unbelievable and too "bad guy", a little too evil to still be lovable or desirable. It became a little far-fetched to still understand why anyone would want to have his children, or listen to his orders. And after the Bag Man, you really start hating everyone. The control, the manipulation, the violation of everyone's trust... I felt a detachment, an anger against all of the characters, and I never really got back the love.
The big climax felt unexpected. Chick's resentment and rage did not feel organic as much as obligatory. And our own narrator's close-mindedness, by the end, made me despise her. I get that Oly has, in the end, become the very embodiment of prejudice and fear that Artie was, but it is so aggravating that she would sabotage her own daughter's chances for feeling normal or happy...grrrrr. There's a difference between liking a book and acknowledging the irritation you feel towards its characters.
First of all, the characters and premise are insanely great. Holy cow, did I love the depth and complexity of our main ensemble. I would pay to see this made into a good movie with good actors. The depths to which all of them sink is haunting.
But following the build up of the first half, the second half began to stall. Artie, with his cynicism and narcissism, had all the makings for a modern day Caligula. But then he somehow seemed to unravel into the realm of unbelievable and too "bad guy", a little too evil to still be lovable or desirable. It became a little far-fetched to still understand why anyone would want to have his children, or listen to his orders. And after the Bag Man, you really start hating everyone. The control, the manipulation, the violation of everyone's trust... I felt a detachment, an anger against all of the characters, and I never really got back the love.
The big climax felt unexpected. Chick's resentment and rage did not feel organic as much as obligatory. And our own narrator's close-mindedness, by the end, made me despise her. I get that Oly has, in the end, become the very embodiment of prejudice and fear that Artie was, but it is so aggravating that she would sabotage her own daughter's chances for feeling normal or happy...grrrrr. There's a difference between liking a book and acknowledging the irritation you feel towards its characters.