Geek Love

Katherine Dunn's "Geek Love" introduces readers to the extraordinary and disturbing world of the Binewski Carnival Fabulon, a traveling freak show run by Aloysius and Lillian Binewski. Driven by the desire to cut costs and ensure a steady supply of unique attractions, the Binewskis embark on a grotesque eugenics experiment, intentionally breeding their own children by ingesting various toxins and radioactive materials during pregnancy. The result is a family unlike any other, narrated by Olympia "Oly" Binewski, an albino, hunchbacked dwarf. Oly recounts her bizarre childhood alongside her siblings: Arturo the Aqua Boy, a charismatic and manipulative limbless boy with flippers; Siamese twins Electra and Iphigenia, conjoined at the waist; and the silent, telekinetic chick-eating albino, Fortunato. As the children mature, their roles within the carnival and their intensely codependent relationships evolve into a darkly complex power struggle. Arturo, in particular, develops a terrifying influence, forming a cult called "Arturism" that preaches the beauty of physical alteration and disfigurement, eventually leading to a sinister scheme to "normalize" the "normals." The novel delves into profound themes of identity, belonging, exploitation, and the boundaries of love within an unforgettable and often horrifying familial bond, ultimately questioning what it truly means to be human and "normal."