The Infernal Desire Machines of Doctor Hoffman (Angela Carter)

I first read this book about twenty years ago and a few things struck me when I started reading it again. The first was the beauty of the writing. I found myself reading the same sentences over and over in the first chapter, just to enjoy the sound of it. The second thing that struck me was that I had no memory of Dr. Hoffman as a character. I remembered the Count quite clearly and was almost certain that he wasn't Dr. Hoffman, but I had no memory of the doctor himself. On a second reading, I think that is an almost intentional and very striking effect of the way these characters are written. The final thing that crept up on me was the discomfort with which I anticipated reading again the novel's scenes of sexual violence. From the group discussion, I was not the only one discomfited by their unflinching brutality. I would characterise the whole novel as unflinching, as deploying intense, unsentimental honesty. As to what it's all getting at, there is an intimidating density to the ideas in play that it is a delight to pick at. I suspect one could take any page and find enough in it to discuss for an hour or more and come away loving it more for the discussion.