Geek Love isn't normally a book I'd pick up and read. The synopsis of a carnival family breeding it's own freak show is disconcerting. Even more so the further I read, for example when Olympia laughs at the idea of wanting to be born normal to Norval. There seems to be a large emphasis on being different in our culture, being the top of the class or the most physically fit. The Binewski family exemplfies it, all the children are unique and different and the only common factor being is that they have nothing in common (aside from their blood relation to one another of course).
The characters were engaging, even through the limited perspective of Norval's notes and Oly's narration. Arty, despite his ambitions, seems to seek only confirmation form others. He's denied confirmation from Elly, and like any young boy what he can't have he destroys. I had a hunch, that's probably unsubstantiated, that Arty was also in love with Elly or rather with the twins as a whole. But since he couldn't have one due to her hostility he lobotomized her. Arty being the control freak that he is can't even let Olympia out of his grasp. Oly was overjoyed when Arty flew off the handle and hit her after learning of her pregnancy, thinking he's been betrayed again after Elly and Iphy's indiscretion, but it's more likely that Arty felt he had loss control of her and lashed out in response.
I'm ambivalent to the ending of Geek Love though, not seeing why killing Ms. Lick is the only way to stop Miranda from going through with the procedure. Oly decided immedietly to kill Ms. Lick, you'd think after watching Arty maniuplations that Oly would've found an easier way to convince Miranda to not go through with it, or even to dissaude Ms. Lick. Then again my dissatisfaction may just be my personal preference for the growing-up section of the story over the preseent day section, since I was more interested in the backstories than the current events in the story.
There's a lot more I can blog about on Geek Love, and I probably will, but for now I'm off.
