Renee Dodd

3.5 stars

Set primarily in 1927, Dugan is a dwarf who runs a “freak show”, which includes teenaged Siamese twins Molly and Faye, morphodite (hermaphrodite) Alex, giant Sean, Dugan’s “twin” dwarf Mario, “Wolf girl” Saffron, fat lady Beatrice, tattooed man Shadrach(?), and a black gay man (Finch) who travels with them as a photographer. Dugan is worried about profits as motion pictures are starting to become more popular as the others are each musing about what they might do next, away from “carnie” life when they are able to leave. Although the show is a protection of sorts – protection from doctors who want to study and/or sterilize them.

The book was slow-moving but interesting in that it looked at the private lives of those living in this time with various deformities: their personal relationships, and some of the abuses they dealt with. Included was a short afterword by the author.… (altro)

Sometimes a book is just not the sum of its chapters. It does so many things right, and yet, and yet…

Such is a case with A Cabinet of Wonders by Renee Dodd. It’s a book about circus freaks: a hermaphrodite, two dwarfs, a tall man, a fat woman, a dog-haired woman, a tattooed man, and Siamese twins. What could be better?!?!? Not much I tell you, except a slightly better book about circus freaks.

As I mentioned in one of my previous reviews, I’m focusing on books that somehow relate to the one I’m writing now, and in this case I was drawn to ACoW because nearly half of my own book takes place in a circus. Albeit, one a damn sight weirder than this one. Nonetheless, I like to read other writers’ portrayals of circi as well as actual research on actual circi. You can tell that Renee Dodd did very thorough research. She sure did. Because, you know, that’s what you have to do. To write a good book, is a lot of research. And I know for a fact she did a lot of research because she explained that she did a lot of research right in the Afterword. More on the Afterword after the next few words.

Dodd is a university creative writing teacher, and I’m sure she teaches her students many guidelines that she followed very carefully in writing this book. Don’t write it unless you’ve…read a lot of books about it. I might go so far as to say that this book is written by the book. Truthful inner monologues, (mostly) vivid scenic descriptions, well-crafted sentences, well-researched detail, (mostly) believable characters, and a nice (if shallow) theme (the “other” is just like us…and at the same time…different. Which is okay!) She’s a wee bit shallow on this theme and doesn’t reveal much complexity. Instead, it’s all there, laid out like liberal guilt. People who are different are just like us inside. I can hear all the boxes being checked in my (her) head as I’m reading (she’s writing) it.

In fact, I think she should have included a dissertation at the end of her book analyzing her own book. How about outlining the themes for us and give us your character back stories? I’m sure you’ve got a chart of the plotline, and maybe throw in all the events you cut that “really happened,” but didn’t make your final edit. You know, director’s cut? If you get what I’m getting at here, it’s that this is all so bloodless. Her bold “freak” characters just don’t match the boldness of the book itself. It’s too tame. I guess I prefer more freak in my freak. And I could hear the theme churning in the background…make the characters as believable as possible so that the reader will sympathize—or at least understand—them and thus create empathy. It’s the standard modus of your average realistic fiction.

I’ll jump to the ending. The ending made me angry. No, not the denoument, the Afterword, which actually starts out by telling us how much research she did on carnivals and sideshows. Really? Color me impressed. Did you like, read lots and lots of stuff? Like for hours and hours? Thanks for sharing. I like your book so much more now that you’ve clarified how convincing it is. I would not have been able to figure that out just from reading the book because I be dumb.

Then she actually goes on to explain and justify various choices she made including saying “Siamese twin” instead of “conjoined twin” or the word “freak.” There you are, I can see that flag waving in your hand. “Look at me, I’m a liberal! I know it’s wrong, but it’s true to the period.” Give me a fucking break. We readers who pick up obscure literary fiction is so stoopid we need it s-p-e-e-l-e-d out for us. “Freak” bad, “differently abled,” good. You know, I don’t actually disagree with political correctness. People shouldn’t say hurtful things casually in real life. But fiction, that’s a whole ‘nother animal. The point is to reflect reality (or the lack thereof) in some fashion, and you know what, reality bites.

I sound pissed off. Errh, get me my stump. It’s just…take a goddamn chance, right? Push the boundaries a bit here. I’m so over the mundane. And making freaks mundane is lame. Lame, I say! Lame like my one-legged friend Peg. Seriously, now. What? Oh, sorry, I’m off track.

Back to the Afterword, I really had to deduct an entire star for the final sentence. “Ultimately, what I hoped for more than anything was to write a good novel, and the stuff of fiction is too big and sweeping to confine in a Cabinet of anyone’s making.” Seriously? That’s what you wanted? Because I’ve really set out to write a way fucking crappy novel myself. You know, I’m hoping that my second novel sucks ass big time and people will mock it and laugh and say they’d rather beat themselves with a bat of nails than read another page. That Katzman guy, he is awful. Keep your fingers crossed for me people—let’s hope I can make that happen. But Dodd, she sure has some lofty goals. She wanted to write a good novel. I wasn’t sure. I wish authors were more open about things like that right in their books.

Tiffany swung her purse and smacked Josh in the face with it. “How could you, you asshole! I worked my whole goddamn life for you and then you leave me for her? This piece of shit?” (Before I go on with the next paragraph, I just wanted to interject as the author that I hope you enjoyed those last four sentences. I’m trying to create a rich emotional tableaux for you to enjoy so that you’ll give me a good review on Amazon.com. Now, back to the action!)

Fuck you, shut up and write the book, don’t explain it for fuck’s sake. Arrgh.

3 stars – 1 star for the Afterword.
… (altro)