Thursday, August 6, 2009
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Geek Love, Katherine Dunn
So I've finished an adult novel. I'm not sure what I expected from Geek Love, and I'm still trying to wrap my head around how I felt about it. The overall concept is intriguing. It begins with a married couple who work as the heads of a carnival. Tickets sales are dwindling and they feel that the way to make the "Fabulon" great again is to create their own shows. And I don't mean calling in all nature of freaks. I mean quite literally creating their own. They take pills and Crystal Lil sips on drug cocktails while pregnant. Their first son is nothing more than a torso with fins. Next are the Siamese twins. Third they have the albino hunchback dwarf (Olympia, who for all intents and purposes, is the narrator), and finally there is Chick: the one they almost left by a gas station in some small town off the trail of their tour. In between were the ones who didn't make it and are kept in jars in their various stages of life. The kids take turns, along with their mother, cleaning the glass and making them shine.
The outcome of their experiment surpasses even Al and Lil's expectations, and not necessarily for the best. A religious obsession begins to form around Arturo the Aqua Boy. With cult-like fanaticism people begin following the carnival from town to town, rest homes rise up as people lose their limbs and can no longer travel. Followers beg for the opportunity to be operated on by Arty's personal doctor, to lose a toe or foot and more until they are nothing more than a torso like Arty. But what is he teaching them? That to truly value life and appreciate yourself you need a deformity? If you already feel like you're different, you may as well show people how different you are?
Despite their issues I loved these characters. From Arty's megalomania and the twins' vain jealousy to shy Oly the dwarf. And Chick. Especially Chick. To say anything about what made Chick special would be to ruin the book. It's a mystery to even the reader until about halfway through.
In tying up loose ends Dunn explores further, through a newer character, how perfection can be your downfall. That to truly experience what the world has to offer and to live up to your potential, it is essential to take away everything that makes you good. Miss Lick shows Oly a slew of people that she has helped. Miss Lick, being fairly "norm" herself, has turned beauties into monsters in an effort to let them live a life of productivity. A prostitute can be a doctor, a stripper an astrophysicist, if only they can lose the one thing keeping them in their current life. To gain everything, you have to lose everything. Or at least that's what Miss Lick would have you believe. In the end, though, Miss Lick loses everything and gains nothing and the lesson is taught by the most unlikely of teachers.
I think I really loved this book. Yes, think. It was disturbing and creepy and it almost feels wrong to say that I enjoyed it. The characters and the world they inhabit were created so beautifully that despite how unsavory everything was it was impossible to put down. The life they led was so incestuous and perverse, but based on how they were created anything else would have seemed unnatural. When it ended I longed for an epilogue, to know the reactions of the characters left behind. But as it was, the ending was perfect and right.
The outcome of their experiment surpasses even Al and Lil's expectations, and not necessarily for the best. A religious obsession begins to form around Arturo the Aqua Boy. With cult-like fanaticism people begin following the carnival from town to town, rest homes rise up as people lose their limbs and can no longer travel. Followers beg for the opportunity to be operated on by Arty's personal doctor, to lose a toe or foot and more until they are nothing more than a torso like Arty. But what is he teaching them? That to truly value life and appreciate yourself you need a deformity? If you already feel like you're different, you may as well show people how different you are?
Despite their issues I loved these characters. From Arty's megalomania and the twins' vain jealousy to shy Oly the dwarf. And Chick. Especially Chick. To say anything about what made Chick special would be to ruin the book. It's a mystery to even the reader until about halfway through.
In tying up loose ends Dunn explores further, through a newer character, how perfection can be your downfall. That to truly experience what the world has to offer and to live up to your potential, it is essential to take away everything that makes you good. Miss Lick shows Oly a slew of people that she has helped. Miss Lick, being fairly "norm" herself, has turned beauties into monsters in an effort to let them live a life of productivity. A prostitute can be a doctor, a stripper an astrophysicist, if only they can lose the one thing keeping them in their current life. To gain everything, you have to lose everything. Or at least that's what Miss Lick would have you believe. In the end, though, Miss Lick loses everything and gains nothing and the lesson is taught by the most unlikely of teachers.
I think I really loved this book. Yes, think. It was disturbing and creepy and it almost feels wrong to say that I enjoyed it. The characters and the world they inhabit were created so beautifully that despite how unsavory everything was it was impossible to put down. The life they led was so incestuous and perverse, but based on how they were created anything else would have seemed unnatural. When it ended I longed for an epilogue, to know the reactions of the characters left behind. But as it was, the ending was perfect and right.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Dull Boy - Sarah Cross
I am so close to being finished with Geek Love. I promise my next review will be about an adult book.
Until then, here is another YA. I really loved the premise of this book. A boy discovers an unknown strength and is constantly in trouble for breaking things (including other people). He tries to hide it, but then ultimately meets others who also have secret talents or gifts and they band together to form a sort of Superhero Alliance, sometimes against their will. They find situations in which they can use each of their unique gifts and attempt to better the world. Because what else is there to do with super powers but fix everything that's bad?
I love the characters. Sarah Cross does an amazing job at giving each one his or her own voice and quirk. Characters will make or break a book for me and these definitely made it. I don't want to call it a twist, but toward the end I found myself completely convinced that things were going to go the opposite way and instead it all went in the way I had hoped (the *right* way, if you will). There is, of course, an evil villain who is just perfect in her role and title. The Ice Queen is certainly that.
More than anything else, I think I appreciated this story due to my own not-so-secret desire to be a superhero. In college (of all places...) I even created my own superhero identity (which never really caught on for obvious reasons). After waking up every morning and finding a new bruise, I was convinced that I was actually a sleep-flying crime fighter, taking down the drunks and miscreants who wandered the hilly streets of town. My sidekick was a fiery redhead almost twice my height, yet somehow I got top billing. Not that I'm complaining...
Anyway. Great debut book and I'll definitely be interested to see what's next.
Until then, here is another YA. I really loved the premise of this book. A boy discovers an unknown strength and is constantly in trouble for breaking things (including other people). He tries to hide it, but then ultimately meets others who also have secret talents or gifts and they band together to form a sort of Superhero Alliance, sometimes against their will. They find situations in which they can use each of their unique gifts and attempt to better the world. Because what else is there to do with super powers but fix everything that's bad?
I love the characters. Sarah Cross does an amazing job at giving each one his or her own voice and quirk. Characters will make or break a book for me and these definitely made it. I don't want to call it a twist, but toward the end I found myself completely convinced that things were going to go the opposite way and instead it all went in the way I had hoped (the *right* way, if you will). There is, of course, an evil villain who is just perfect in her role and title. The Ice Queen is certainly that.
More than anything else, I think I appreciated this story due to my own not-so-secret desire to be a superhero. In college (of all places...) I even created my own superhero identity (which never really caught on for obvious reasons). After waking up every morning and finding a new bruise, I was convinced that I was actually a sleep-flying crime fighter, taking down the drunks and miscreants who wandered the hilly streets of town. My sidekick was a fiery redhead almost twice my height, yet somehow I got top billing. Not that I'm complaining...
Anyway. Great debut book and I'll definitely be interested to see what's next.
Infinite Jest - David Foster Wallace
I've probably mentioned many times to various people of my love for this book. It took me almost a year to read it through for the first time and that time was probably the third or fourth time I picked it up.
After finishing it I may have claimed that the book was pretentious. But it's not at all. The book is smart, it is beautifully written, it sees into ordinary things and makes them relevant and relatable. I felt like it should be pretentious due to length, due to the literary discussions and references. I felt like as an English major I had been required to love this book. But I don't love it because I should. I love it because Wallace was a genius and his way with language and his observations of life are amazing.
So. I am reading it again. Along with other people. And this time I will embrace the book and love it because I can, not because I must. I'm so excited to see what other people have to say as they read along. Some for the first time, some for the fourth or fifth. Care to join us?
(And in preparation for my cruise, I'm totally reading his cruise ship essay again. Maybe it will just be a DFW summer, not simply an Infinite Summer.)
After finishing it I may have claimed that the book was pretentious. But it's not at all. The book is smart, it is beautifully written, it sees into ordinary things and makes them relevant and relatable. I felt like it should be pretentious due to length, due to the literary discussions and references. I felt like as an English major I had been required to love this book. But I don't love it because I should. I love it because Wallace was a genius and his way with language and his observations of life are amazing.
So. I am reading it again. Along with other people. And this time I will embrace the book and love it because I can, not because I must. I'm so excited to see what other people have to say as they read along. Some for the first time, some for the fourth or fifth. Care to join us?
(And in preparation for my cruise, I'm totally reading his cruise ship essay again. Maybe it will just be a DFW summer, not simply an Infinite Summer.)
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
The Chronicles of Narnia
I still have not finished The Chronicles of Narnia. But I am so close. I am on the final one and am finding it difficult to pick it up for the last time. Not because I'm so sad to let go of this series, but because upon skimming through the first couple of pages I did not recognize any of the characters.
I understand that the series is about the land. Now. I mean, I understand that now. But I went into this hoping to follow the Pevensie children all the way through. I was forgiving with The Magician's Nephew because I knew that background needed to be established. But as Lewis slowly did away with the Pevensie kids I was really disappointed. Just when I came to love them they were told they were too old for Narnia.
Overall, I like the conversational tone of the books. It's as though my uncle or grandfather is sitting on my bed telling me a story as I fall asleep. That being said, I do think that the writing talks down to the reader a bit. But, it was a different time. Also, I'm 26. Lewis did a phenomenal job creating a fantasy world and I admire the dedication it takes to create something so unlike what we see everyday. The religious themes are much more evident than when I was 11 and first read The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, but not overtly so.
This is definitely a series to be read in full (I mean, I'm sure I will feel the same when I finally finish), and I'm sure I will refer to and cherish it for a long time. I wish I had given it another chance when I was a little younger, but I'm grateful that I have found it now.
I understand that the series is about the land. Now. I mean, I understand that now. But I went into this hoping to follow the Pevensie children all the way through. I was forgiving with The Magician's Nephew because I knew that background needed to be established. But as Lewis slowly did away with the Pevensie kids I was really disappointed. Just when I came to love them they were told they were too old for Narnia.
Overall, I like the conversational tone of the books. It's as though my uncle or grandfather is sitting on my bed telling me a story as I fall asleep. That being said, I do think that the writing talks down to the reader a bit. But, it was a different time. Also, I'm 26. Lewis did a phenomenal job creating a fantasy world and I admire the dedication it takes to create something so unlike what we see everyday. The religious themes are much more evident than when I was 11 and first read The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, but not overtly so.
This is definitely a series to be read in full (I mean, I'm sure I will feel the same when I finally finish), and I'm sure I will refer to and cherish it for a long time. I wish I had given it another chance when I was a little younger, but I'm grateful that I have found it now.
An Abundance of Katherines
It seems that John Green is somewhat of an idol among the YA population. He has his own followers who call themselves Nerdfighters. Obviously I needed to know what all the fuss was about.
An Abundance of Katherines follows a guy named Colin as he heads out on a random road trip after his most recent break-up with a Katherine. Since a very early age he has only dated Katherines and even the most insignificant (the shortest relationship lasted three minutes) count. Colin is too smart for his own good and over analyzes things to the point that they become meaningless (in my opinion). But with the help of his best friend and a brief encounter with a town called Gutshot, Tennessee, Colin learns about the important things in life. And those things are not always necessarily called Katherine.
I thought this book was adorable. I don't think it converted me to Nerdfighter, but it was definitely enough to make me want to follow up with Paper Towns and Looking for Alaska. As one who runs from anything involving numbers, I found the math sections tedious. But I don't think they took away from the enjoyment of the overall story.
Would I recommend it? Probably... Though I think I'd wait to read another of his books first and see if I could recommend that one instead.
An Abundance of Katherines follows a guy named Colin as he heads out on a random road trip after his most recent break-up with a Katherine. Since a very early age he has only dated Katherines and even the most insignificant (the shortest relationship lasted three minutes) count. Colin is too smart for his own good and over analyzes things to the point that they become meaningless (in my opinion). But with the help of his best friend and a brief encounter with a town called Gutshot, Tennessee, Colin learns about the important things in life. And those things are not always necessarily called Katherine.
I thought this book was adorable. I don't think it converted me to Nerdfighter, but it was definitely enough to make me want to follow up with Paper Towns and Looking for Alaska. As one who runs from anything involving numbers, I found the math sections tedious. But I don't think they took away from the enjoyment of the overall story.
Would I recommend it? Probably... Though I think I'd wait to read another of his books first and see if I could recommend that one instead.
Monday, May 4, 2009
I Promise This is Relevant
When I was younger, around four or five, my mom had a friend who had a daughter named Kristin. My mom used to send me to spend the day with Kristin. Kristin was a few years older than me and I am positive I annoyed her. There is an age when a girl wants to be seen as more grown-up and doesn't want to be followed around by a five year old. So she used to play games which would occupy me for hours and during which she could go and do what she wanted. Most of the time this game was hide-and-seek.
One particular day I searched for Kristin everywhere. In closets, under beds, even in places where we weren't supposed to be. I couldn't find her. I vaguely remember crying. (I was young and she was missing.) Then, finally, she reappeared. She handed me a quarter and said that the quarter was a gift from The White Rabbit and she showed me that she had one also. Somehow my quarter ended up behind a dresser, though I have no recollection of how this happened.
Regardless, Kristin told me that she had just been to Wonderland and that she had met not only the White Rabbit, but Alice, the Madhatter, and (AND!) Dorothy. That's right. Apparently there was a special Wonderland in which all fantasy characters played together. Kristin told me that she entered this world through the closet. I told her that I looked for her in the closet and saw nothing. "That's because I was in Wonderland," she said. She told me that for some reason I could not enter Wonderland that way but that I was not to worry. There was another way. All I had to do was sit by the bathroom window, hold my special quarter, and call for Alice. Alice, or someone else, would then come and get me and they would walk me over the rainbow. I must have done this for hours. Hours. Eventually Kristin told me that I must not have been able to go because I was using her quarter and not my quarter (the one that had mysteriously fallen behind the dresser). I was defeated and depressed and to this day I can come up for no explanation as to where Kristin had been hiding. I looked in the closet multiple times and I definitely saw her walk out of the closet when she decided to end the game. It's not that I believe she actually went to Wonderland. But where did she find the quarters and why could I not see her?
I knew the references to The Wizard of Oz and to Alice in Wonderland. To meet Dorothy would have been a dream come true. My mother always used to lose me in department stores because I would hide among the racks of clothes, pretending they were haystacks, and sing "Somewhere Over the Rainbow." But it wasn't until I was reading The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe this weekend that it suddenly occurred to me that Kristin must have read that book and that's how she knew to use the closet as an entry-point to Wonderland. Realizing I would have been too young to have heard of Narnia she stuck with the places and people I would know.
This whole thing has a kind of surreal quality to it. I can offer no explanation for Kristin's disappearance. I have to give credit to the girl for being creative enough to put those things together and have me believe it all. I have to give her credit for coming up with an elaborate scheme to entertain me and keep me from bugging her. Part of me, at age 26, still wants to believe that she did go to Wonderland. That she really did meet all of those characters. Part of me wants to be Old Uncle Digory, excited to hear her adventures. But then the logical part of me returns, reminding me that the entire thing is completely illogical. I am an adult. I work in a law firm. There is no room in my life for magic and fantasy.
But then again....
One particular day I searched for Kristin everywhere. In closets, under beds, even in places where we weren't supposed to be. I couldn't find her. I vaguely remember crying. (I was young and she was missing.) Then, finally, she reappeared. She handed me a quarter and said that the quarter was a gift from The White Rabbit and she showed me that she had one also. Somehow my quarter ended up behind a dresser, though I have no recollection of how this happened.
Regardless, Kristin told me that she had just been to Wonderland and that she had met not only the White Rabbit, but Alice, the Madhatter, and (AND!) Dorothy. That's right. Apparently there was a special Wonderland in which all fantasy characters played together. Kristin told me that she entered this world through the closet. I told her that I looked for her in the closet and saw nothing. "That's because I was in Wonderland," she said. She told me that for some reason I could not enter Wonderland that way but that I was not to worry. There was another way. All I had to do was sit by the bathroom window, hold my special quarter, and call for Alice. Alice, or someone else, would then come and get me and they would walk me over the rainbow. I must have done this for hours. Hours. Eventually Kristin told me that I must not have been able to go because I was using her quarter and not my quarter (the one that had mysteriously fallen behind the dresser). I was defeated and depressed and to this day I can come up for no explanation as to where Kristin had been hiding. I looked in the closet multiple times and I definitely saw her walk out of the closet when she decided to end the game. It's not that I believe she actually went to Wonderland. But where did she find the quarters and why could I not see her?
I knew the references to The Wizard of Oz and to Alice in Wonderland. To meet Dorothy would have been a dream come true. My mother always used to lose me in department stores because I would hide among the racks of clothes, pretending they were haystacks, and sing "Somewhere Over the Rainbow." But it wasn't until I was reading The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe this weekend that it suddenly occurred to me that Kristin must have read that book and that's how she knew to use the closet as an entry-point to Wonderland. Realizing I would have been too young to have heard of Narnia she stuck with the places and people I would know.
This whole thing has a kind of surreal quality to it. I can offer no explanation for Kristin's disappearance. I have to give credit to the girl for being creative enough to put those things together and have me believe it all. I have to give her credit for coming up with an elaborate scheme to entertain me and keep me from bugging her. Part of me, at age 26, still wants to believe that she did go to Wonderland. That she really did meet all of those characters. Part of me wants to be Old Uncle Digory, excited to hear her adventures. But then the logical part of me returns, reminding me that the entire thing is completely illogical. I am an adult. I work in a law firm. There is no room in my life for magic and fantasy.
But then again....
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