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Dennis Cooper

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Closer: A Novel Kindle Edition

by Dennis Cooper (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

3.9 155 ratings

Book 1 of 5: George Miles Cycle

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The first novel in the notorious, award-winning George Miles Cycle—”a crowning achievement in American letters [from] a master of transgressive fiction” (Tony O’Neill, The Guardian, UK).

Proclaimed “the most dangerous writer in America” by the Village Voice, Dennis Cooper began his controversial novel cycle with Closer, introducing readers to the enigmatic George Miles. A physically beautiful and strangely passive teenager, George attracts his fellow students with irresistible mystery, like a wallet lying on the street. One after another, his friends rifle through him searching for love or simply momentary relief from the mindlessness of middle America.

George passes through the arms of men like John, an artist who drains his portraits of humanity in order to find what lies beneath; Alex, fascinated by splatter films and pornography; and Steve, who turns his parents’ garage into a nightclub. But George remains a tantalizing blur until he’s picked up by two men in their forties. Tom and Philippe, obsessed with the beauty of death, believe George to be the perfect object for their passion.

Like Jean Genet and William Burroughs, Dennis Cooper assaults the senses as he engages the mind in this “bleak and brilliant” novel that deserves recognition as “(at least) a minor classic” (John Ash, The Washington Post Book World).

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In chapters titled with the names of the characters on whom they focus, this brief novel links together a small, bleakly debauched cast of gay men. Dedicated to sex and violence for the catharsis these acts would seem to promise, the men settle into a dull grind of physical encounters that, no matter how searing, fail to provide transcendence. The fault of their miserable existence seems to lie not in them, but in existence itself; life by its very nature can offer little but a thrillingly painful prelude to death. The novel's problem is not Cooper's point of view but the monotony of his spare, honest treatment: his deadpan look at chronic sexual anomie is so faithful to the phenomenon it describes that the work succumbs, laconically, to weariness. Scope is further limited by Cooper's decision to address the condition of despair more than its cause. Though convincing, sometimes darkly funny evidence of dissolution and decay abounds (" . . . men had worn him away. They'd fastened him to a treadmill that spun until there was nothing around but a vague outline, smeared in blood"), memorable details tend to languish in dolorous prose.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

“As beguiling, baffling, beautiful and intelligent as anything by Genet or Joyce.” —Tony O’Neill, The Guardian (UK), on the George Miles Cycle

“Extraordinary. . . . One of the few new American writers with a completely distinctive voice.” —Edmund White

“Bleak and brilliant. There can be no doubt about the power and originality of Cooper’s writing. Sheer force of style raises Closer to the level of (at least) a minor classic.” —John Ash, The Washington Post Book World

“A story about how desire can persist to the brink of self-destruction and beyond. . . . A work of considerable courage.” —Thomas R. Edwards, The New York Review of Books

“Closer translates the moments and feelings for which we don’t really have a vocabulary. Cooper taps the ineffable, the murky underside of sexual and human relations.” —Lynne Tillman

“An incredibly beautiful and daring book. Cooper’s language is at first intense, nearly minimal, then suddenly, it ascends into vision.” —Kathy Acker

“A frightening vision of urban decay and anarchy in a punk/gay subculture: The Road Warrior meets Holden Caulfield.” —Publishers Weekly

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B005FFPUYQ
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Grove Press; Reprint edition (December 1, 2007)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ December 1, 2007
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 2210 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 146 pages
Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ 080213212X

Best Sellers Rank: #465,880 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #547 in LGBTQ+ Literary Fiction (Books)
- #833 in Psychological Literary Fiction
- #3,633 in Contemporary Literary Fiction

Customer Reviews:
3.9 155 ratings

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3.9 out of 5

155 global ratings

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Tadd Mecham

Yikes

Reviewed in the United States on April 1, 2024

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Kind of surprised this book is not widely cited when talking about queer horror. It is not strictly a horror book (I wouldn’t know where else to classify it) but it contains some pretty horrific things.

Before getting into the plot, I will say that Closer has the distinction of essentially making every male character in it gay. In high school every boy seems to be fair game and there isn’t an instance of homophobia to be found. This makes it seem like it might be somewhat uplifting for any gay guy to pick up and read, but it could not be farther from the truth. In all honestly the cruelty and nonchalant attitude (or eventually deadly indifference) toward attachment made homophobia as a plot device unnecessary. This is a book full of gay characters creating their own little world of horror.

The story itself is lilting and somewhat unfocused, but it becomes a collection of increasingly grim events unfolding across a scatter of characters. For the central character, George, it’s a descent into utter detachment for what happens to his own body and being unable to form a connection with anyone even through sex. He will do anything with anyone and not give it a second thought. His mother is dying and he is constantly stoned, so he fills every waking moment with drugs or letting anyone do anything they want to him.

It starts out with typical sex but slowly turns toward a fixation with coprophagia and eventually extreme sexual violence. The events peppered throughout the book are increasingly nihilistic and it feels more and more hopeless as it goes on. Closer is a mean book about people who are drifting through an existence without much to cling to and I found myself completely absorbed throughout.

One person found this helpful

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Kevin F. Tasker

Dirty, lyrical, exciting

Reviewed in the United States on April 29, 2010

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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.

14 people found this helpful

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J. Plummer

Thrown to the Wolves

Reviewed in the United States on June 20, 2008

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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.

7 people found this helpful

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Steven Carrier

Dennis Cooper, a great American Author

Reviewed in the United States on June 11, 2020

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Dennis Cooper is an incredible writer who dares to go places very few other authors refuse to touch. His books are shocking, grotesque but also masterfully structured, beautifully written and seem even more vital than ever in 2020. If you can stomach the extreme depictions of sexual violence you’ll find an incredible and indelible voice you’ll never forget.

3 people found this helpful

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Robert J. Stone

Weird

Reviewed in the United States on June 18, 2020

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It’s hard to keep the players straight (no pun intended) among this nihilistic cabal of 17-year-old queer guys. Lots of sex, much of it S&M, with no insight about why other than ennui.

3 people found this helpful

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William "Liam" Purcell

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United States on October 30, 2014

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Fast and efficient. Item as described.

2 people found this helpful

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Sara Bataille

One of my favorite novel ever.

Reviewed in the United States on November 30, 2017

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.

4 people found this helpful

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DBStL

it's rare that i put aside a book

Reviewed in the United States on May 23, 2021

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The story was about a high school student whose ego is inflated by a teacher and some critics saying his deconstructed drawings were impressive. He found a lonely boy as a model that he could use and abuse. I just couldn't see this story going anywhere worthwhile and removed it from my Kindle. Too many good goods to read.

5 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

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bitte treten sie beiseite

all hail george miles

Reviewed in Germany on April 1, 2023

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ich konnte es nicht fassen, dass ich d.c. erst nach zwanzig jahren lesen und tausenden büchern entdeckt habe; er passt zu mir die faust ins gesicht (oder anderswo hin).
ich weiss, er kann abschreckend sein und einiges liest sich wirklich schwer und ich finde es schwierig, "normalen leuten" reiz und mehrwert seiner literatur klar zu machen. aber gott weiss wie dringemd ich ihn als junger homosexueller gebraucht hätte. umso froher ihn jetzt noch zu entdecken, wo er noch munter und sehr aktiv ist (dringende empfehlung auch für seine filme, seinen blog, etc).
glaube würde als erstes sachen wie "god,jr" empfehlen, ganz ohne perversitäten, oder sein letzes buch "i wished", was nochmal eine sehr zärtliche rückschau ist auf seine lebenslange liebe/faszination/inspiration/obsession george miles (möge er in frieden ruhen).
bin nun letzten beiden monate durch 11 seiner bürger durchgefegt und mann war das ein ritt..
10/10

2 people found this helpful

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