Al and Lil Binewski own a failing carnival, which they revive by creating a family of freaks though chemical abuse during pregnancy. Not just standard drugs, but pesticides, radioisotopes, and more. The story is narrated by their daughter Olympia, a bald albino hunchback dwarf, who often bemoans her relative normalcy (you should see her siblings). It's a fascinating look at not only carnival life, but how we view physical beauty in general. Do we really envy those who are completely normal, or those who proudly display their differences? The description is raw, shocking, and painfully vivid, but like a carnival freak show, you just can't look away. You have to keep reading, to get a better look, to see what they'll do next. This is not the sort of book that will appeal to everyone, or even most people, but I really enjoyed it. If nothing else, it was very different from most other things I've read. ( )

I've participated in LibraryThing's SantaThing program since it's inception. One year I asked for something bizarre, weird, or strange, and also gave assurance that I wasn't easily offended. LibraryThing member fyrefly98 (who also has a marvelous book blog) selected Geek Love by Katherine Dunn for me. This rather odd story was a fantastic choice. Not having been previously aware of Geek Love, I thought the book was much newer than it actually is, partially because of the cover design (which apparently caused quite a stir initially, appropriately flaunting it's unconventional aesthetics). Written in 1983 (and fully published in 1989) it was a finalist for both the 1989 National Book Award and the 1990 Bram Stoker Award. It took me nearly a year to get around to reading it, but I am so glad that I finally did.

Aloysius and Crystal Lil own and manage the Binewski Fabulon, a traveling carnival. When it looked as thought the business was beginning to fail, they set out to change matters and genetics. By combining drug concoctions and other dubious methods, they plan to create their own freakshow with their own children. There is Arturo, the enigmatic AquaBoy, born with flippers rather than limbs; the beautiful and charming conjoined twins Iphigenia and Electra; poor Olympia is only an albino dwarf with a small hunchback; and Furtunato, better known as Chick, unfortunately looks like a norm--but his mental powers are astounding. Geek Love is a story about a family not afraid of being different and who are quite proud of their uniqueness. But it also the story of their struggles as they grow, so fixated and obsessed with being special that it can only end in tragedy.

Geek Love is primarily told in the first person by Oly, although the narrative occasionally slips into the third person. The text of personal notes, diaries, and newspaper clippings are also included. Overall, it seemed a bit disjointed, but it makes sense when at the end it is revealed that all of these material have been collected together--ultimately it's not so much a book as it is a box full of family memorabilia. The family dynamics portrayed are intense but really no different than what would be seen from a "normal" family. It isn't the characters' physical peculiarities that make them monsters, but their personalities and their actions towards one another and those outside the family. Sibling rivalry doesn't often directly result in physical violence, but the extreme mental and emotional manipulations are exceedingly harsh and damaging, especially those initiated by Arty. Despite the fantastical and often unbelievable nature of the story, at its heart it comes across as brutally authentic.

Geek Love is definitely not for everyone (I know of more than one person who was offended or utterly repulsed by the book) but I thought it was incredible. Generally, I was much more interested in the history of the Binewski family (which really is most of the book) rather than the "Notes for Now" sections which followed Oly and her daughter Miranda. The ending of the book did seem a little rushed to me, but the book as a whole was very well paced--I was completely engaged by the story and could hardly tear myself away from my morbid fascination. Appalling, disturbing, and bizarre, Geek Love is intense and not for the faint of heart or the weak of stomach. It's been a while since a book has affected me to such an extent, but I was completely blown away. Geek Love has made a lasting impression; I'll certainly be thinking about it for quite some time and I'll definitely be holding onto my copy. Thanks again, Fyrefly!

Experiments in Reading ( )

I think in her attempt to pass along the moral of this story (don't judge a book by its cover), the author overwrote the characters. Yes, they were freaks and yes they knew this and yes they gloried in this, but... even keeping all this in mind, their behaviors were not believable. i.e. Just because they were freaks in the eyes of "norms" shouldn't have been reason enough to justify incest. It's like the author confused freakishness with an interest in incest which is along the same lines of confusing male homosexuals with pedophiles. One is a lifestyle/way one is born, the other is a sexual deviation.

Anyway, in general, the book is well written although near the 3/4 mark the story starts getting told via "documents" rather than by any of the characters which gave the sensation that the author couldn't figure out how to continue the story without resorting to such shortcuts.

Even though the characters are unbelievable in terms of "real life", within the story, they seem to be nicely developed. All in all though, I can only give this a 3 star (average) rating. ( )

Disturbing.

That's the only word I can summon to describe this novel. It was well written, and the concept of a side show "freak" couple purposely developing a brood of even more "freak" children (and putting their failed attempts on display in little jars) was a little too gruesome for me.

Some of the story lines were well thought out, and if you could get past the squeemish parts, there was an underlying story of what it meant to be a freak versus "normal" and what exactly makes one "normal".

I think the descriptions were written with the purpose to disgust and disturb, which makes me wonder who the actual audience is for this book. If I were to read it again (which is highly unlikely) I would feel much more comfortable with some heavy skimming of those parts and retaining a focus on the story development itself. ( )

Strange and wonderful novel full of interesting characters. This is one of the few books I've read several times. ( )