Geek Love is a book that is going to stay with you for quite a while. Either in the form of teachings or some terrifying nightmares.
Katherine Dunn has a really good way of presenting some major problems humanity is dealing with nowadays. How much do we base on outlooks and neglect to appreciate real personal experiences because of shallow values?
It is a question many have been asking and even more have been dreading.
When looking for books about circus freaks, Geek Love will be one of the best ones you should pick up. Well, it is not focusing on circuses per se, still, the freak part will do just fine.
It is two stories, one is about Arty, who establishes a cult, where members mutilate themselves, called Arturism. In order to find PIP (Peace, Isolation, Purity) sacrifices have to be made. Members start with smaller parts such as toes and work their way up.
The second story is about 19-year old Miranda, whose mother, Oly was fertilized by Arty’s sperm.
The girl was born with a tail, which proves to be a hit in the fetish striptease club she works at. A wealthy lady tries to convince her to cut the tail off in order to reach her full potential.
Turns out Lick, the rich woman persuades attractive girls to mutilate themselves, as beauty holds them back. It is debatable if she is doing it out of goodwill or rather to reduce the number of prettier women than her.