Thursday 6 March 2014

Bumping Noses and Cherry Pie - Charie D. La Marr

The circus comes to town...and the carnival, midways and sideshows.

From the trappings of the big tent, elephants, magicians and clowns comes a series of (26) short stories, labelled 'circus-punk' which will delight, enthrall and in some cases just gross you out.

From Deedles the clown that won't be upstaged by newbie Pixy and sets about to ensure the attention is fully on her. The fun-house that a young boy dares to enter on his own and finds that it's not that fun after all.

A man runs past a yard sale, stops to buy some clown shoes only to be transported to yesteryear and Houdini.

The court case held over the Orosco family's show poodle that was raped by a mongrel. The story intensifies when the said poodle becomes pregnant. Then there's the two showgirls both ambitious on tour, both want to be the star of the show - both can't. The rivalry takes on new heights stop after stop - when is too much too much?

An eclectic range of stories, Marr's ground-breaking genre of 'circuspunk' is certainly an eye opener. What is circuspunk?  The author explains it as "...a sub-genre of punk/bizarro literature..a blend of truth and fantasy that's a mixture of fun, sex, satire and splatter.." Needless to say, the short, sharp often witty tales that follow are not all clown related. Sometimes gross and even shocking are the exploits of the 'fairground' lot that will send the mind reeling.

The introduction explains the fear of clowns, Marr herself has been one for several years, and sympathizes with the phobia. But she insists that the sometimes multicolored, wacky but always friendly clowns are just there to entertain.

A collection of fun, strange and sexy stories that are not for the fainthearted. They all, in their own unique way, explain the genre of circuspunk and with all of them there is humor - laugh out loud or black - it's there. It's an easy read and you wouldn't be amiss to flick through and read the short stories randomly. But there is an enjoyment from reading chronologically.

There is an ease with the style of writing and Marr manages to evoke sympathy, like-ability and compassion for all her characters in each story despite the length. Like a roller-coaster, each tale will take you on a journey that will thrill and leave you wanting more. A recommended read.

Find out more about the author and the circuspunk genre on my MTA (Meet The Author) page...

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author to review. The opinions expressed are my own and I am not required to give a positive critique.

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