Synopsis: Geek love is the multigenerational story of the Binewski family, a traveling circus of the grotesque and amazing. When it becomes difficult to find geeks for the show the senior Binewskis decide to breed their own. Experimenting with arsenic, radioisotopes, and a collection of various chemicals they produce a family of freaks like a fish-boy, an albino hunchback, siamese twins, and a seemingly normal child with magic powers. The siblings and parents must contend with the machinations of each other and the world to keep themselves intact. 

Disclosure: This was my first DNF (Did Not Finish) of 2024. I made it 50% through the book before I threw in the towel. 

My Thoughts: I actively HATE Geek Love. I didn’t merely dislike this book. It didn’t upset me and cause me not want to read for a while. No, I hate this book with a burning passion that makes me yell anytime I have to talk about it. The next time I visit a bookstore I think I’ll buy every copy and put every page through an industrial shredder. I think I’ll use it as kindling to light a fire. I think it may sit next to my toilet to help clean up after the explosive bowel movements reading this book brought on.  

Okay. Now that we have my little diatribe out of the way, let's talk about why I didn’t find this book enjoyable. The characters themselves are interesting. Who doesn’t love reading about a fish-boy that attempts to have intercourse with a record player. Or, the albino midget who is tricked on stage at a fetish strip club and paraded topless for the audiences’ enjoyment. Oh wait, I don’t enjoy that. Do you? 

I enjoy many books that include grotesque or offensive material because that material is used in a way to further a character or make a comment on society. In Geek Love the story is simply gross and absurd for no reason. It comes across as a collection of vignettes that barely connect, each one trying to out-do the one before.

In every review I attempt to find some positive in the book. For Geek Love, the positive is the world in which the story exists. For anyone who has visited Portland, OR many of the experiences will feel familiar. There are still plenty of fetish strip clubs. Despite many of the characters and events being extraordinary Katherine Dunn makes them feel believable with her writing. I would be curious to read some of her other work to see if that writing can tell a better story. 

Additionally, I read a physical book and eBook, as well as listened to an audiobook. The narrator did a great job portraying each character uniquely. There was no doubt which character was speaking.