Geek Love
I finished reading Katherine Dunn's "Geek Love" today. It's a fascinating and disturbing book. It begins with two carnival performers deciding to breed circus freaks by experimenting with various tetratogenic agents, such as amphetamines, cocaine, insecticides and radioactive isotopes. They succeed in producing an "aqua boy", a pair of conjoined twins, an albino hunchback dwarf . . . and a seemingly normal child who has the most unusual talent of all. I don't want to say more about it, because it's one of those books that you have to experience for yourself. As the plot progresses, it becomes increasingly complex and rich and dark and twisted.
I'm not sure if I've mentioned it in my journal, but I've recently become interested in disability studies, and I found it fascinating from that perspective. It sets up a world where deformity and deviancy are commodities, forms of power, objects of desire. I want to reread it and perhaps write a paper on it at some point.
Next up, finish the new Wheel of Time! It's really, really excellent so far, but it was too big and heavy to take with me when I got my ears pierced, and so I started up Geek Love. :P
BTW, are we ever going to start up Book Club Ninjas again? I typed in the tag and that popped up as an option and it reminded me of it.
I'm not sure if I've mentioned it in my journal, but I've recently become interested in disability studies, and I found it fascinating from that perspective. It sets up a world where deformity and deviancy are commodities, forms of power, objects of desire. I want to reread it and perhaps write a paper on it at some point.
Next up, finish the new Wheel of Time! It's really, really excellent so far, but it was too big and heavy to take with me when I got my ears pierced, and so I started up Geek Love. :P
BTW, are we ever going to start up Book Club Ninjas again? I typed in the tag and that popped up as an option and it reminded me of it.