Closer

Dennis Cooper is a writer who challenges me as a reader. His work is dark, uncompromising yet deeply compelling. What scares and excites me about Coopers writing is it's ability to arouse and disgust all at the same time. His writing manifests emotions and fantasies that I myself never dreamed would exist in my mind. By these standards Dennis Cooper and his books burn into my soul. They offer me the chance to think, reflect, yet ultimately hate myself for enjoying something that reaches the darkest parts of gay erotica. But Closer is so much more. An interconnected Web of short stories that are painful, sensual, sadistic and sad. There are no comparisons to Cooper except maybe the writing of Peter Sotos which is even darker. Highly recommended for those who need a literary and emotional challenge.

'Closer' was Dennis Cooper's first full-length novel, having spent twenty years making a name for himself as a gay poet whose principal themes were drugs, sex, death, teenagers and the general meaninglessness and inexplicability of life. Even by gay standards his work is controversial, because of his refusal to shy away from the darker corners of gay desire. Indeed, it is in the dark corners that most of his work resides, exploring the boundaries (or perhaps revealing the terrifying absence of boundaries) between the barely excusable - obsession, sadism, violence, perversion - and the completely inexcusable - paedophilia, rape, mutilation, muder.This novel is in fact closer to a collection of inter-related short stories (which seems to be how it began life) centring aroung the beautiful but intensely vulnerable high school sophomore George Miles. As a number of friends and acquaintances relate in turn how they noticed, fell for, enticed, seduced and bedded George, a picture begins to emerge of his alarming passivity when it comes to sex, as if he finds it easier to lie down and 'play dead', allowing his partners to do what they want to him, than take any active role himself. The majority of his lovers (most of whom are so self-obsessed that they try to use sex with George as a way of figuring out what they think and feel about themselves, without much success) become so unnerved by his behaviour that they cannot maintain the relationship. Before long, however, George comes to the attention of a group of older men, who find his corpse-like quality during sex more stimulating than his peers.The book's power comes from George's complete inability to explain the way he behaves. He attempts to blunt the appalling hollowness of his life and his incapacity to articulate who or what he is by being permanently stoned, constantly seeking out sexual contact in the hope that other people will be able to supply the substance his own existence lacks. However, the lives of the other characters are just as shallow and directionless: John refuses to comment on the meaning of his weird artwork for fear that it might not actually mean anything; David withdraws into a complete fantasy world where he is a famous pop star adored by all (whereas in reality even George has dismissed him as insane); Phillippe becomes addicted to coprophagia as a way of escaping the fact that he doesn't have the guts to murder anyone. And over all of them hangs the disquieting thought that, in the end, their deaths may well prove more significant than their lives ever were.Cooper's world, shot through with moments of bleak humour and genuine horror, is a shocking, moving and worrying place to be (worrying because of how close it might come to the truth). This book, the first in a five novel cycle, explores the extent to which the emptiness in our lives cannot ultimately be overcome, and how all our interactions with each other - taking drugs, having sex, getting a boyfriend, falling in love - cannot be imbued with a meaningfulness they do not possess. Although this book will still upset the faint-hearted, Cooper left it to his later novels to explore the full horror of the lengths to which some people will go to fill this gaping emptiness.

I read the book twice before I wrote this review (which was quick to do since the novel is only 130 pages long), once to read the content, and again to see Cooper's vision. While I cannot personally identify with his facination and association with love/sex/violence/death, I cannot deny that this book is powerful. George Miles is incredibly sympathetic and complex despite lacking clarity, while those around him are so incredibly depraved and self-indulgent (to the point that they BS themselves). If you can read past the "rebellious" content, then it's for you.

Few contemporary authors possess such zeal in examining the lives of tortured gay teenagers. Cooper is a lustful writer, a stylist virtuoso whose stories at once sicken and delight. Closer details a youthful gay boy named George Miles who is used so thoroughly by those lecherous freaks he comes across, he almost ceases to be a human being. This includes prolonged descriptions of scatophelia and worse...much much worse. Presented in clipped, adjective-light sentences, Cooper has written a vile book that makes up for its lack of heart/general human emotion, with what seems to be a never-ending stream of human misery, self-desctruction, calloused blundering, evil, evil characters. It is not what you might call family-friendly. Really this is some of the sickest "literature" available (though not as protracted as Ellis' American Psycho) though it doesn't come off as trying to shock just for shock's sake (ala Palahniuk)...most of the time. Sometimes George is forced to endure such heinous things as anal basement surgery (a man wants to saw him apart to get off...) that we flinch and sort of pull away, wondering to ourselves if "stuff like this really happens in our real world." Now as I write this I listen to birds chirping outside and the sun is bright and hot, alluring. This book is the anthesis of a sunny day. It is a catastrophic dungeon of a read, a hobbled, pitch-black, brutal little ditty (clocking in at almost novella length) that shows, from many points of view, the way a young mind can be destroyed. It is not a book for teenagers, or those with weak stomaches. Similar to the Marquis de Sade, whom I'm told Cooper drew much of his influence, it might leave you loathing humanity as a whole. At the same time, however, it is really difficult to put down (if you enjoy writers I've mentioned). You might hate yourself for liking it, but there is a kind of weight to it in the absence of hope and light. There is a kind of disparity that is difficult to comprehend, but at the same time enlightens. Like you feel after falling down a long stairwell. The blur at the bottom, in the grime, every muscle contracting, flushing sweat, the breath you draw in feels electrified. That feeling is Dennis Cooper. A mythical breath of human degradation, something near art but not quite. More like a deleriously-entertaining horror show you feel sort of guilty recommending to people.

Fast and efficient. Item as described.

I intially got into Cooper by mistaking his work for another writer, but found myself happily surprised after reading some short stories he had written. This book is pretty much standard for Cooper, not to say it is bad. It is always fascinating to read about the sorts of things people think about but never admit to. Or the things which ahppen in life no one wants to talk about. Specifically very dirty sex and murder. And this book will cover all of that. It's rather hard to explain the plot since I don't think there is one in any normal sense. Dennis Cooper ust isn't that kind of writer. Instead, we have vignettes all orbiting around one character, George Miles, a teenager sort of confused by and removed from the world. This quality he has allows numerous tortures to be enacted upon him and he takes it, not really seeming to feel any deeper sort of pleasure. A character it is easy to project upon by the other characters. It's been a few months since I've read this, but it still seems fresh in my head. This is the sort of stuff which will seriously affect you, but some will find it too shocking and repulsive for their taste.

I'm a straight woman and so I'm not the target audience of this book, and yet I love it. I've read all the George Miles Cycle books. They've been my fave since my early 20's along with Peter Sotos' work, who I discovered through. In my view it's his best book. His work won't appeal to regular people gay or straight. Dennis Cooper's work always comes back to me over time. This book about drugged out serial killer gay character, will be considered to be homophobic by some, but Cooper uses homosexuality as a back drop it's not the main focus of the novel. It also wouldn't be any different with a heterosexual character. I highly recommend this book to anyone regardless of sexual preference.