TRY

Rating:
Summary: porn promoted as literature? you decide...
Review: 'Try' is my first Dennis Cooper book and, well, it will probably be my last as well. I read it because I thought it would be quality 'shock' literature similar to the works of JG Ballard, Chuck Palahniuk or Irvine Welsh. While 'Try' is chock-full of shock elements I'm afraid I couldn't understand what Dennis Cooper was trying to say. I hoped to be rewarded after enduring pages of serious S&M verbage. But instead the book simply left me confused, and relieved (that I finished it).

In a nutshell, 'Try' is about a teenager (Ziggy) who is systematically abused both physically and sexually by his two dads. He also is in love with a straight junkie, and has an uncle who perhaps should have specialized as a proctologist for young boys. Ziggy's world is a nightmare but, inexplicably, he takes it in stride. He goes as far as writing a newsletter for sexually abused kids. Suffice to say, while some elements of the story are plausible I found 'Try', on the whole, to be over-the-top.

'Try' is an extremely graphic novel. Even fetish-oriented gay men would probably be amazed (to the point of ecstasy) at the lurid descriptions of rough sexual acts. This book is definitely not for the squeamish.

However I will credit Dennis Cooper for at least being a 'good writer' (ie, his narrative flows well), and for at least 'pushing the envelope' in the sometimes stodgy world of literature. He seems to have the talent to produce fine work. However he did not achieve this with 'Try'.

Rating:
Summary: What's bigger, Cooper's heart or his nerve?
Review: One of the warmest stories of friendship I've ever had the honor to read.
Yes, it's edgy.
Yes, it's sexual.
But, when you get right down to it, it's about the love and friendship between these two boys.
I must say, I was shocked by one scene in the book. Not so much because of the inappropriate behovior of the characters, but by the fact that Cooper had the nerve to be so.. so... un-p.c..
Anyway, it's all warm fuzzies, only with teeth (not to mention fists...).

Rating:
Summary: my favorite one, next to his poetry.
Review: There are a few cliches to get your head round before reading Cooper and taking him seriously. One is the idea of the countercultural writer or punk poet. He is both of these, to an extent, but nothing like exclusively. If he borrows weight from any quarter it's in that he's gay and tackling the very established, even passe form of the pychological novel (see that blurb about Austen on the jacket). Anyone who knows Genet, though, will see the influence straight away - a writer besotted with the erotic and mythopoeic property of words, while staying far from any traditional level of erudition that could be used to boost his reputation or advance an idea of his 'level'. He is, in fact, a perfect modern incarnation of (or caterer to) Baudelaire's 'hypocrite lecteur'. He's 1% artist, and his books are 1% art, but don't underestimate that fraction's potency. Writes from the heart like no-one i know.

Rating:
Summary: My favorite one!
Review: This is by far my favorite book from Mr. Cooper. And it's his most accessible one yet because it is not as warped as his other works.
I can't help but feel compassion for the ziggy character and love the storyline from beginning to end.
A great one indeed!

Rating:
Summary: beautiful without trying
Review: this is definitely my favorite of the 5-book series (frisk, try, guide, closer, period) that Cooper penned. i had admired his work from afar because for the longest time his choice of subject matter and deadpan prose often made me feel estranged from the characters and their situations. however, there is something to be said for his work as it has managed to attain a certain kind of distinguishment in my eyes which is perhaps an entirely personal sentiment, although a case could be made that it's not entirely personal. but i won't try.

about the book: it is one of the most "emotional" of the 5-book series and has some of the most haunting passages and easy-to-identify characters (as far as the characters in Cooper's universe are concerned anyway!): the abusive father, the tragically misunderstood young man, the twisted relative, the aloof and obsessed admirer, and the suicidal compatriot. while there are a few other minor characters the above named are the most poignant and fully fleshed out (the aloof and obsessed admirer is narrated in the first-person) it helps to better understand just how difficult it is for the central character to relate to anyone, to understand their motives and situations, and ultimately to foresee any consequences. there is less of a recklessness in Cooper's storytelling with this novel and has perhaps the most optimistic "protagonist" of all the novels. this is saying a lot considering one of the story's more gruesome happenings, which is told in chillingly minimal language. in spite of these twists and turns in character development and plot cohesiveness the story reads fairly easy (if you're accustomed to Cooper's work) and is perhaps one of the most easily accessible as far as characterization and emotional depth go. but be warned, Cooper's writing has been and always will be for mature audiences only.

Rating:
Summary: Very Unusual
Review: This is my first Dennis Cooper book so it took me several pages to get use to his style of writing. At first I found this choppy style quite annoying; howerver, one I got into the book, it became easier to concentrate on the plot.
I found the book disturbing simply because of the subject matter, child pornograpy, pedophilia, drug abuse, and necrophilia all wraped up in one. I guess my curiosy keep me reading this book to find out how this all would end. I can honestly say that this was not one of my favorite books.

Rating:
Summary: Post-Modern Nihilism with Sex and Death
Review: This is the first of Cooper's novels that I have read, and it will probably be the last. Although well-written, it seems like an exercise in writing about sexual abuse, violence and drugs with the sole purpose of being as nihilistic and shocking as possible. I found no theme or message from the work, nor did I experience any feelings for any of the characters. Cooper should bring his talent to bear on more worthwhile efforts.