Let’s be honest, folks: Chad Kultgen isn’t for everyone. In fact, I’d argue he probably isn’t for most. Outside of his one turn in the sci-fi world with Darklight (which, admittedly, I haven’t read), his novels tend to focus squarely on the vile, sexual, masturbatory, selfish and destructive tendencies in relationships between men and women—with a specific focus on the male perspective.
In short, he’s not exactly the kind of guy you go to for a pick-me-up read or say, if you’re a woman. A few weeks ago, I found myself browsing through a real life Barnes & Noble (I know, I was just as surprised as you to discover the website apparently has a brick-and-mortar home store. Who knew?).
In the fiction section, I came across Kultgen’s latest offering, Strange Animals. Having read all but one piece of his literary catalog (sadly, I also somehow missed getting to see The Incredible Burt Wonderstone, which he apparently penned), I purchased with obvious expectations.
And to some degree, it didn’t disappoint. Like several of his other novels, Strange Animals employs the tactic of telling multiple stories, with each chapter rotating back and forth between the perspectives of alternating characters. Additionally, it’s written in that traditional Kultgen style, which is to say straightforward, simple writing that makes getting through the book a breeze.
But what made me want to write this review, what made me enjoy the book more than I had his previous, is that there seems to be an actual point besides, “Gee, ain’t gettin’ older the pits!” and “Golly, women can be tough, but isn’t having sex with the hottest of the bunch just the best!” Brace yourself, but this one actually might make you think about things a bit.
We follow Karen Holloway and James Dobbs, two individuals that couldn’t be less connected as the story begins. Karen, a PhD student at UCLA who doesn’t believe in religion, and James, a devout Christian and member of the night cleaning crew at a local mall in Oklahoma, see life totally differently.
In fact, upon introduction of every single character (literally, after their first bit of dialogue, no matter how minor of a role they play in the story at large), Kultgen indulges us with a paragraph detailing this person’s thoughts on the existence of God, the role science should play in everyday life, and the importance of/value in sexual activity beyond procreation.
It gets tiring, for sure, but certainly provides some interesting context once you slog through the opening introductory characters. Anyway… the two characters begin their crash course towards one another after Karen finds herself accidentally pregnant. Instead of getting the abortion she’d always intended to get had this situation arise, she opts to conduct an experiment designed to test what she feels is the hypocrisy of the Christian right and pro-life movement.
Figuring that there are about 157 million Christians in the country, she sets up a website announcing that if she receives $100 million dollars (approximately 64 cents per person) in donations by the end of her second trimester, she’ll have the baby and donate the money to a trust fund in its name. If not, she’ll have the abortion.
Meanwhile, our zealot pal James (if there was a movie made of this book, no way on Earth anyone other than Paul Dano would play him) receives the word of God that he is to go to California to carry out His plan.
Lives get ruined; shit goes down. You can probably figure out the rest from there. Political feelings aside, I have to give Kultgen credit—far as the abortion extortion plotline is concerned, that’s a hell of a story driver. No matter how you feel, and I’d argue that’s precisely the point; it’s the sort of idea that’ll get you thinking/arguing/shouting/taking a stand.
Strange Animals is intriguing because its characters balance on that razor-thin line between passionate and crazy. Where do the two intersect, where do the two cross over and how much of a difference, really, is there between either side?
James and Karen are both extreme ends of the spectrum, but at the end of the day, they’re both doing what they believe is right, what they believe they were put on Earth to do. Are they really so different?
Pretty strange, indeed.
Scott Spinelli is the author of congratulations? and a former stand-up comedian. He is currently finishing his second novel, searching for (allie), and has an unhealthy obsession with lowercase letters. Visit him at www.scott-spinelli.com or follow him on twitter, or both.
