Book review by Corey
Geek Love
Geek Love follows the Binewski family, who run a travelling carnival and deliberately try to create children with unusual physical traits so they can become part of the show. Olympia tells most of the story, but Arturo, the twins, and Chick all become huge parts of the family drama as jealousy, obsession, control, and ambition start tearing everything apart.
There was a lot more going on beneath the surface than I first realized. What sounds like a bizarre carnival story turns into something much darker about family, beauty, power, loyalty, and the way people can turn their differences into both strength and weakness. The characters are strange, messy, and sometimes awful, but I kept wanting to see what they were going to do next.
The Goods
- Very original premise
- The characters are unforgettable
- Strong themes around family and control
- Dark humour works well
- The carnival setting gives it a unique feel
The Bads
- Some parts can be very uncomfortable
- A few characters are difficult to like
- The story gets pretty strange
- The framing story feels less connected
- Some sections slow down more than others
My Recommendation
This is a strong choice for readers who like unusual literary fiction, dysfunctional families, dark humour, and stories that are willing to get really weird. I liked that the book never tried to make the Binewskis easy to understand or easy to judge, and some of the moral choices stayed with me longer than the actual plot. If you enjoy books about obsession, identity, beauty, power, and family dynamics that are anything but normal, Geek Love is definitely one of those books that’s hard to forget.
