The Cutest Girl in Class (written by Quentin S. Crisp, Justin Isis and Brendan Connell) will be published by Snuggly Books in the autumn of 2013.
(Please note that the cover art used in this review isn't the final cover art.)
Information about The Cutest Girl in Class:
Vehicle for warped desire or major contribution to the modern novel, The Cutest Girl in Class steals the prosthetic hand of modern existence, gloves it in the leopard-skin of amazing style and idiom, and then proceeds to slap modern existence in the face with its own stolen hand.
Zak is a man who likes to play with dolls – Real Dolls. Clive is a boy longing for Marybeth, the girl next door. Now their disparate streams of lust and longing are about to cross, thanks to Thad, an aspiring, almost heartbreaking criminal, and Clive's father, whose obsession with "inorganic women" endangers them all. A unique collaboration from Quentin S. Crisp ("Remember You're A One-Ball!"), Justin Isis (I Wonder What Human Flesh Tastes Like) and Brendan Connell (Metrophilias), this serious novel with something serious to say is a lunatic three-headed dragon, equal parts rollicking caper, ribald farce and embittered love story. Fraught with double crosses and missing mannequins, this is Waiting for Godot meets Beach Blanket Bingo, the two of them falling in love and getting married in a church where the priest is John Waters.
A must have for all lovers of the written word.
A REVIEW OF THE CUTEST GIRL IN CLASS
I can honestly say that it's been a long time since I've read anything like this. To be honest, I don't remember when I've last read a novel that equals to this one in terms of surrealism, absurdity and weirdness.
In my opinion The Cutest Girl in Class is difficult to categorize, because it defies easy categorization. I think it's best to say that it's a novel that has a surreal, absurd and weird plot.
The Cutest Girl in Class is a story that will linger on the reader's mind. This is - in my opinion - a sign of a good story, because good stories have a tendency to stick to your mind after reading them. Trust me when I say that this particular story won't be easily forgotten. This novel will make readers think about such themes as love, longing, loneliness and loss.
Quentin S. Crisp, Justin Isis and Brendan Connell have created and written a surprisingly controversial story, which will appeal to fans of modern fiction that breaks the boundaries of the accepted norms (the authors have somehow managed to create a story that entertains, shocks and surprises its reader in many ways). This story could've been a total disaster in less capable hands, but the authors have written a unique story that will fascinate readers who aren't afraid of reading weird novels.
The Cutest Girl in Class is a daring combination of coming-of-age story, love story, sexuality and obsession with dolls. It's a fantastically disturbing vision of a world in which grown-up men are seriously fascinated by realistic dolls and want to collect and play with them. In this novel the lives of Zak, Thad, Mr. Magister, Clive and Marybeth are connected and what happens to them is interesting, but also disturbing. There are several different threads in this story and they are connected in an interesting way (as the happenings begin to unfold, things gradually become weirder and weirder).
Here's a bit of information about some of the characters and also about the plot:
- Zak likes inorganic women and he has a doll called Sooki. He likes Sooki very much, but unfortunately other people are interested in her and she may not be safe with him.
- Thad is Zak's friend, but works behind his back. He works for people who collect dolls.
- Mr. Magister is the regional manager of Fresh and Functioning. He collects Real Dolls. He has several of them and he wants to have Zak's doll too.
- Clive is Mr. Magister's son. He has suspicions about his father and his activities. He's in love with Marybeth.
- Marybeth is the object of Clive's adoration.
All these characters are interesting. I especially enjoyed reading about Zak, Thad and Clive. It was also fascinating to read about Mr. Magister's obsession with the dolls.
Clive's feelings toward Marybeth are explored splendidly. The authors write fluently about how it feels for a teenage boy to discuss things with a girl whom he finds attractive. This love story adds several tender and intimate moments to the story.
This novel has all kinds of dolls in it. The best dolls are superbly created and have fully articlulated skeletons, silicone, gel implants, vaginas etc. They're almost like works of art.
One of the most intriguing things about this novel is that the dolls are very important to the characters and they seem to be almost like substitutes for girlfriends and wives, and they rouse different kind of emotions in the characters. These characters are enthusiastic collectors and want to own dolls almost desperately - they're so eager to own the dolls that they even organize dollnappings to get what they want.
The chatlines for doll collectors were an intriguing invention, because there are all kinds of chatrooms online. It was also interesting to read about the "dollfests" in which the dolls were inspected etc. All these things added an intriguingly weird element to the already weird story.
The Cutest Girl in Class is something different and it's difficult to compare it to other novels, because there aren't that many similar novels out there. This novel manages to be entertaining, disturbing and touching - considering how weird and controversial the plot is, this is quite an achievement. The authors explore themes of love, lust, sex and longing in this novel in a unique way (the over-the-top plot is a tool that is used to explore difficult themes). I think it's amazing that the authors have managed to combine so many different elements and have also added clever and twisted humour into the story.
This novel reminded me a bit of the American-Canadian film Lars and the Real Girl (2007) starring Ryan Gosling (Lars and the Real Girl is a film about a man who has a doll as a girlfriend). I'm not sure if this film has been an inspiration to the authors, but it's possible, because it's mentioned in this novel.
I think that The Cutest Girl in Class won't be to everybody's liking. It's possible that there are readers who may find this novel too weird and even offensive, but everybody who appreciates weird stories will find it interesting. I personally liked this story and found it very interesting, because the story pulled me in quickly and I had to read it as fast as I could to find out what happens at the end.
There are probably several readers out there who wonder if this novel is worth reading. I can say to these readers that this novel is definitely worth reading, because the authors have produced a story that is both original and shocking, but also touching. Careful readers will find that there's much more to this novel than the controversial plot, because under all the weirdness and layers of absurdity there's a serious story.
I strongly believe that this kind of novels have much more to offer to readers than several mainstream novels, because this kind of fiction allows authors to explore difficult and even forbidden themes much more openly and shockingly than mainstream fiction. I highly respect authors who are capable of writing this kind of novels, because they make readers think about the happenings.
The Cutest Girl in Class is one of the most original novels of the year (who else but Brendan Connell, Justin Isis and Quentin S. Crips could've come up with this kind of a story). This collaboration between three different authors is a weird, but also touching story that must not be missed by anybody who loves weird novels. For all those willing to explore the lusts and feelings of men who are interested in dolls, this novel is an unforgettable reading experience.
Highly recommended to readers who aren't afraid of reading something different!