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cocoonofbooks 's review for:
Geek Love
by Katherine Dunn
This book ranks highly for me out of sheer ingenuity. It's unlike any other story I've read. The title refers not, as one might expect, to a computer geek but to a circus geek, a performer, and in particular, the family of "circus freaks" at the center of this story. Al and Lil Binewski have produced a varied brood through their experiments with drugs and other chemicals during pregnancy -- a boy with flippers, conjoined twins, a hunchbacked albino dwarf (our narrator), and a boy whose uniqueness isn't revealed right at birth. The plot is bizarre but coherent and the characters full-fledged individuals with odd relationships to one another -- jealousy, love, dependence.
Ultimately, I found the story depressing and disturbing on many levels, and for that reason I'm not sure if I can say I really enjoyed it. But I can't deny that it's incredibly imagined and wonderfully written, even if the climax -- well, both climaxes -- were a bit over-the-top for me. I'm not surprised that this book, like its character Arty, has developed a cult following of admirers. I'm just not sure who I would possibly recommend it to.
Ultimately, I found the story depressing and disturbing on many levels, and for that reason I'm not sure if I can say I really enjoyed it. But I can't deny that it's incredibly imagined and wonderfully written, even if the climax -- well, both climaxes -- were a bit over-the-top for me. I'm not surprised that this book, like its character Arty, has developed a cult following of admirers. I'm just not sure who I would possibly recommend it to.