Katherine Dunn’s Geek Love, published in 1989, is a strangely beautiful novel about a family of circus freaks and their power struggles for survival. Set in the fictional town of Martha’s Creek, Oregon, the novel follows the Binewskis, a family of strange freaks, each the product of their mother Lil Binewski’s attempt to give her beloved husband Albin a “family of grotesques”.
The Novel begins with the Binewski’s attempt to survive despite, a genetic mutation that has given them all strange physical deformities. Despite their malformation, they are all full of life and energy, each trying to find a place of acceptance.
The Twins Arty and Elly, stuck at the age of five forever owing to a fascination with the fantasy “totem troll”, live a life of fantasy and wonder, rarely sobered by real life issues. Even as Lil and Albin are thrown out of their home town, Arty and Elly’s minds take them elsewhere.
The four Binewski children – Elly, Arturo, Olympia and Chick – are the focal characters of the book. While all have physical deformities, only Olympia’s is the most apparent. Often mistaken for a baby, Olympia is a 32-year-old albino hunchback dwarf. Her deformity, which renders her unable to walk, does not stop her from seeking fame and glory with the help of her loving brother Arturo, better known as Arty.
Geeks, in Dunn’s novel, are not the unattractive people we are used to seeing today, but rather they are seen as a source of wonder, beauty and fear. In her novel, Dunn focuses on family dynamics and the desire to be accepted, be it in the circus or society. The novel also shows the power of love and is full of dark, twisted humor as well as moments of emotional depth.
At its heart, Geek Love is a complex story about the Binewski family’s struggle for survival. It is also a story about a search for identity and the power of love to overcome all. The novel’s climax occurs when Albin and Lil intentionally send Olympia away, so she can find her place in the world through public acceptance. Her journey around the world shows her true worth as she discovers she can be more than a mere performer in an oddity show.
Katherine Dunn creates a unique world of grotesque beauty and develops characters who manage to find joy even in the midst of extreme hardship. Geek Love is a powerful literary work that touches on difficult issues of identity, familial love and acceptance. It is an enduring novel that continues to draw readers with its mix of dark humor and insight into the nature of humanity.
