To call this book strange would be an understatement. Katherine Dunn’s 1989 literary horror masterpiece “Geek Love” is utter insanity.

The work was released in 1989 to critical acclaim, becoming a finalist for both the Bram Stoker Award and the National Book Award.

Like Dunn’s other novels, “Geek Love” was partially inspired by her childhood, which was scarred by poverty and the strange behavior of her mother, who allegedly tried to kill Dunn on multiple occasions.

Her mother’s influence can be seen in the characters and themes presented in her works, especially in her depictions of figures of authority.

All of Dunn’s novels present a cynical and depressing view of human existence in some way, but “Geek Love” is the perfected version of Dunn’s style.

“Geek Love” follows the Binewskis, a family of travelling circus performers headed by Aloysius “Al” Binewski and Lil “Crystal” Binewski. However, the Binewskis’ traditional circus attraction begins to fail.

In an effort to spice up their act and garner more support from audiences, the Binewskis decide to start a freak show, using their own children as performers. 

Before they are even born, the pair purposely mutate their children in the womb using a cocktail of drugs and radioactive isotopes, which results in the birth of deformed children.

The main character, Olympia, is an albino hunchback; two other children, Iphigenia and Electra, are conjoined twins. One child, Arturo, is born with flippers for limbs and is billed as “Arturo the Aqua-Boy.”

But one of the children is born undeformed: Fortunato, also known as Chick. He has telekinetic powers that he uses throughout the book, lifting objects into the air to entertain others. Chick is very meek, despite having the most powerful abilities of the siblings.

The siblings scheme and compete for the attention of the crowd, culminating in a nightmare that eventually leads to their destruction.

The story shifts between two narratives, one in the past and one in the present. The past narrative follows the Binewskis as they travel the country, attracting both controversy and fascination with their disturbing and daring freak show.

Later, the plot centers around Olympia as she reconciles with her past and tries to reconnect with her daughter Miranda, from whom she was separated at birth due to the scandalous identity of Miranda’s father. 

Any more plot description would spoil the sheer madness that is this book — just prepare yourself for dismemberment cults, plastic surgery and attempted murder via poison gas.

“Geek Love” discusses themes relating to being different, the morality of entertainment and the parasitic relationship between the audience and the performer.

“They thought to use and shame me but I win out by nature, because a true freak cannot be made. A true freak must be born,” Olympia said.  

This book is not shock material or sleazy horror pulp; it is far more than that. With references to the Greeks and Edgar Allan Poe, “Geek Love” is a daring and sophisticated work that invites readers to uncover the sheer horror it presents. 

The Binewski family dynamic is complicated, and the references to cults and the worship of entertainment make for interesting commentary on entertainers and fame. 

The book’s plot and writing style are an early reflection of the cultural differences that arose between the 1980s and the 1990s, rejecting the manufactured aesthetic of the 1980s in favor of something darker and more raw. 

“Geek Love” definitely takes a strong stomach and a reader with an iron will, but this book is a highly rewarding read.