The Fake Muse
Max Besora, trans. from the Catalan by Mara Faye Lethem. Open Letter, $16.95 trade paper (160p) ISBN 978-1-960385-33-8
In this spirited and unhinged romp from Besora (The Adventures and Misadventures of the Extraordinary and Admirable Joan Orpí, Conquistador and Founder of New Catalonia), giant mutant hamsters revolt against mankind, and a bald man transforms into a rampaging King Kong. The story takes place somewhere called the “valley of the bronx,” where, in the first section, Besora introduces such miscreants as Johnny Dynamite, who watches the 1922 film Nosferatu so many times that he becomes a vampire, and J.R., a UFO nut who’s abducted and probed by aliens, after which he concludes, “faith is a question of taste.” There’s also a well-read dog named Molecule who witnesses his devout Catholic owner molest his daughters, Amanda Jane, 17, and Isabel II, 13; and an author named Max Besora who tortures a critic who doesn’t understand his work. The second section takes the form of a pornographic chamber play in which all the characters meet and have sex. In the third and final section, the fictional Besora writes, “The excessive rules and codes in a hypercontrolled society like ours can only lead to this kind of psychotic behavior.” When viewed as an act of resistance against literary and societal conventions, this scorching novel offers plenty of fun. Adventurous readers will admire Besora’s moxie. (Feb.)
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Reviewed on: 02/17/2025
Genre: Fiction
Open Ebook - 978-1-960385-34-5