Of course, it was 'Geek Love' by Katherine Dunn. If you haven't read it, and you're a lover of 'American Horror Story', you HAVE to give it a try. It's uncomfortable, it's angry, it's frustrating. But it affects you like no other story. Even 'House of Leaves', which is pretty bizarre in its own right. Portland author & poet Katherine Dunn once wrote an advice column ('The Slice') in the '80's for 'Willamette Week', a newspaper published in Portland, Oregon. I eagerly read it, just for her writing. She was brilliant. And she still is.
'Geek Love' is the story of a family of circus freaks. The Binewskis breed (via the use of drugs and toxic chemicals) their own exhibit of human oddities: Olympia (the narrator), an albino dwarf; Arturo the Aquaboy, a man with the ambition of Genghis Khan; the conjoined twins, Iphy and Ellie; and Chick, the psychic 'normal appearing' brother who can move objects with his mind.
Olympia has a life-long devotion to Arturo, a fish-man who knows no limits, a man who takes over the operation and demotes his father to less-than-zero. But Olympia has a secret, a secret that lives close to her. A secret that does not know how close she is to this family of circus freaks.
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| Author Katherine Dunn |
Filled with joy and sorrow, fatalism and confusion, 'Geek Love' is a story that is a good accompaniment to the soon-to-be fourth season of 'American Horror Story'. Every time I read it, I am amazed at the flow of the story, at the love Dunn feels for each of her characters.
It is weird. It is strange. It's a classic.
And...
'Geek Love' by Katherine Dunn, can be found everywhere! Check your favorite independent bookstore and your local library!
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