BOOK REVIEW
Dive into the dark allure of cult power in 鈥楪eek Love鈥�
鈥淚 get glimpses of the horror of normalcy. Each of these innocents on the street is engulfed by a terror of their own ordinariness. They would do anything to be unique.鈥� 鈥� 鈥淕eek Love鈥� by Katherine Dunn
鈥淕eek Love鈥� by Katherine Dunn was published in 1983. It follows the Binewskis, a family that owns a carnival. The patriarch, Al, decides to engineer mutations by feeding his wife pesticides, poisons and other drugs to create children with severe deformities in order to boost ticket sales.
As the children grow, the book evolves into extreme dysfunctional family dynamics. The children go from codependency to jealousy centered around Arturo, who is a half-human, half-aquatic creature. Arturo becomes the leader of the family (including his parents). Arturo is a deeply philosophical, highly intelligent master manipulator who controls and dominates the family and his audience by giving cultish lectures from his tank.
The circus is always sold out and Arturo is the main attraction. Can he convince his audience to cut off fingers and limbs in order to become his 鈥渇ollowers?鈥� Arturo鈥檚 cult, called 鈥淎rturism,鈥� is based on the idea that true happiness is attained by shedding the imperfections of the body. Arturo鈥檚 goal is to be revered by the crowd as they feed his narcissism and power. Arturo is aware of using authority by manipulating the emotional state of the crowd through fear and shame.
鈥淕eek Love鈥� is classified as literary horror. It will be appealing to any reader who appreciates good writing, who is interested in reading about the power of cults and their leaders, and who want to understand blind devotion with family members 鈥� even if it鈥檚 unhealthy.
鈥淭he truth is always an insult or a joke. Lies are generally tastier. We love them. The nature of lies is to please. Truth has no concern for anyone鈥檚 comfort.鈥�
Deborah Condit is the owner of Books on the Bosque, 6261 Riverside Plaza Lane, Suite A-2 or at .
