Transgressive literature has cemented a visceral array of conducted chaos, which is crafted into fiction. It has been around for decades and simply deconstructs conventionality within literature and the barriers that can often limit free expression in literature. Authors such as William S. Burroughs, Terry Southern, Kathy Acker, Dennis Cooper, Chuck Palahniuk, and Bret Easton Ellis helped identify the mark transgressive literature has made throughout history.
Despite this, the genre has had its ups and downs, often labeled as smut because of the niche subject matters it often explores. A lot of the time, it will involve gore, sex, and violence, as well as centering its stories on marginalized people like addicts, queer people, homeless people, and so on. This brings me to John Waters, a celebrated director who has transitioned into an author, introducing his newest creation, Liarmouth, a bizarre story about Marsha Sprinkle. She is not just any protagonist; she is one who is deeply deranged, often leaning into the inhumane prospect of human behavior. Having kept his campy humor in an elevated sense, Water’s fictional curation on the page has helped highlight the complexities of his stories, elevating them from visual media to the world within literature.
The book Liarmouth, released in 2019, was written by John Waters, the genius behind cult classics such as Multiple Maniacs, Pink Flamingos, and Female Trouble, along with pop culture staples such as Hairspray and Cry Baby. He has not released a film in some years, and with his lack of content for fans to gnaw on, they inevitably became filled with a craving for new material. So, when John Waters released a book instead, it surprised many, but fitting for such an innovative and original creator.
The book is outrageously bizarre and hilariously perplexing. It uses satire to portray the deviance of humankind and flawed notions that impact society, treading into the territory of deviance from the masses’ quarrel as to what is considered to be along the lines of normality. Parts of this book reminded me of Anthony Burgess’s 1962 novel A Clockwork Orange. The parts which were reminiscent of such a classic were the aspects of cruelty being merged with satirical deviance delving into the chaotic nature of man. Marsha in John Waters’ book reminded me a lot of Alex, the protagonist in Anthony Burgess’ novel.
It also follows a familiar notion that transgressive books have in the years of their evolution. The book is riddled with nonsensical situations that extend the conception of convention, an aspect of transgressive literature that has been ever prevalent. In the book, Marsha is a chronic liar who swindles anyone she can, so self-absorbed she’s become devoid of empathy and downright evil. Her role as the protagonist alone is something that is not really explored much in modern literature, which is daring and fabulously addictive since who doesn’t love a villain to root for?
John Waters has always done camp, a genre that does not shy away from being unique. Arguably, many have claimed that he has been the best at it. Being Queer himself, Water’s introduction to “Divine” in the early 1970s has catapulted a progressive landscape for many. Even Disney’s Ursula from The Little Mermaid was inspired by Divine. Therefore, one can imagine the hold this artist has on so many.
Hughes’s doing camp in this modern age has indeed paid off, evolving with the world that has honed in on such hilarious antics. The book itself is enriching, thorough, and decadently twisted. John Waters makes the most absurd scenarios that in any other hands would probably be seen as child-like or hard to take seriously and twists it all on the reader’s head. An example is the main character Marsha’s daughter Poppy, who is in some kind of jumping cult. The characters are literally obsessed with trampolines, waterbeds, and just jumping in such outlandish ways. It sounds so silly, and at first, I was a bit hesitant about the idea, but the more I read, the more I laughed.
So, to conclude the review, I would say this is one of the best books I have read this year since it has been such a joy to delve into, and I would recommend it to anyone who has a dry sense of humor or just enjoys satirical chaos.
