National Book Award finalistHere is the unforgettable story of the Binewskis, a circus-geek family whose matriarch and patriarch have bred their own exhibit of human oddities (with the help of amphetamine, arsenic, and radioisotopes). Their offspring include Arturo the Aquaboy, who has flippers for limbs and a megalomaniac ambition worthy of Genghis Khan . . . Iphy and Elly, the lissome Siamese … lissome Siamese twins . . . albino hunchback Oly, and the outwardly normal Chick, whose mysterious gifts make him the family’s most precious—and dangerous—asset.
As the Binewskis take their act across the backwaters of the U.S., inspiring fanatical devotion and murderous revulsion; as its members conduct their own Machiavellian version of sibling rivalry, Geek Love throws its sulfurous light on our notions of the freakish and the normal, the beautiful and the ugly, the holy and the obscene. Family values will never be the same.
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TIME TO BUZZ ABOUT MY FAVORITE BOOK AGAIN!
People who should read Geek Love:
* People who love weird fiction
* People who wanted to run away and join the circus when they were children, despite having ZERO skills that would make them useful to a circus
* People who like reading about cults
* People who have a high tolerance for bodily harm
* …
This book seemed to be pretty polarizing — either people really loved it or couldn’t really stand it. Personally, I enjoyed it but if you’re looking for a light, fluffy read with likable characters and a happy ending, you should stay away from this one. Like, far away. This book is a lot like watching someone perform an ocular surgery: it’s gross, …
I love it when I’m reading a book and the plot doesn’t even feel like it’s happening until it’s in full tumble. It was wonderful to watch the characters of Geek Love curdle and crystallize into being just in time to be whisked in some new direction.
While this is undoubtedly one of the strangest books I’ve ever read, I love/appreciate it so much for its weird individuality.
Geek Love — started it last night. @HMish made me. We’ll see…
Finished it! Incredibly weird in the most amazing way. Great rec Halli.
Just finished Geek Love. Really weird!
This is the weirdest book I have ever read, but the characters are worth it.
Katherine Dunn has created something entirely original with this book.
Oh, the dark, the strange, and the wonderful. I wish I could have been the proverbial fly-on-the-wall whilst Katherine Dunn and Chuck Palahniuk were hanging out in the seedy backrooms of Portland, Oregon. Originally published in 1989, “Geek Love” came about in the days before my beloved city of Portland became oh-so-hip.
Freaks, Geeks, Cults, and …
By far, one of the strangest books I can remember reading.
One of the strangest but most unforgettable books I’ve ever read.
People love this book. I did not. I am no stranger to the strange, to the fringe, to outcasts, both in what I read and the company I keep. But this book felt like a really inauthentic approach, almost a soulless caricature, trying to be weird and dark for its own sake.
Geek Love, the only novel written by Katherine Dunn, is a tour-de-force of a story about a carnival freakshow that rivals Orwell’s Animal Farm in regard to its social commentary. All the characters are beautifully flawed and will burrow their way into your subconscious. In my opinion, one of the most important pieces of American literature ever …
A really oddly compelling book, I was drawn in pretty quickly. I admit however that a couple of the characters lives were pretty far-fetched, but – that said – I enjoyed it and couldn’t wait to see how it ended.
Definitely in my top ten
Ridiculous plot, not well written
Quite possibly the best book I have ever read.
Unique!
Great original story for readers who are open to somewhat twisted characters and plot line.