Gutmouth

Gutmouth by Gabino Iglesias
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

David Demon has a second mouth below his navel named Phillipe. How did David and Phillipe end up in the clink and, more importantly, will they be able to escape?

Gutmouth is another rendering of that age old tale of a woman becoming between two men. Only, in this case, it's actually between a man and his mutation, a second mouth with a nine inch tongue and a British accent. Yeah, Gutmouth is a bizarro book.

I periodically dip in and out of the bizarro genre. One of my complaints about the genre is that logic is sometimes tossed to the wind. I can buy into talking penises or people having sex with furniture, as long as it makes some sort of sense. Gutmouth makes a lot of sense to me.

Set in a dystopian future of heartless corporations and genetic engineering, Gutmouth is bizarro noir at its finest. Who wouldn't want to knock off their three breasted amputee girlfriend if she cheated on him with his second mouth?

Gabino Iglesias wears his noir influences on his sleeve. I knew I was devouring it in one sitting when he described the sounds of drops of water sounding like "faraway slaps on a fat woman's ass." There are other clever Chandler-esque similes but that's the one I remember the most.

If you're looking for a quick bizarro fix with a robust noir flavor, look nor further. 3.5 out of 5 stars.



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