Aloysius Binewski and his wife Crystal Lil deliberately breed a family of human oddities by ingesting toxic chemicals and radioactive isotopes during pregnancy. They operate a traveling carnival where their offspring—the telekinetic flipper-boy Arty, the conjoined twins Iphigenia and Electra, and the telepathic infant Chick—serve as the star attractions. The story is narrated by Oly, an albino dwarf who lives in the shadow of Arty’s rising cult of personality. As Arty convinces followers to amputate their own limbs to achieve spiritual purity, the family dynamic dissolves into a violent struggle for dominance and survival.
This novel targets readers of transgressive fiction and body horror who seek a subversion of traditional family dynamics. It appeals to those interested in the psychological extremes of cult leadership and the literal commodification of physical deformity. Readers finish the book with a dark perspective on the nature of narcissism and the lengths to which parents manipulate their children’s identities. It offers a blunt examination of how groups define "normalcy" by isolating and elevating the grotesque.
Inward-looking and open-ended; a moderate read.
Best for readers like The Wisdom Collector. Which reader are you?
- Published
- 1989
- Language
- EN
