The Worst Book I've Ever Read

The Marbled Swarm is the worst book I have ever read.

Matt gave the book to me for Christmas. He picked it up from some up-and-coming fiction list. I was so happy to get the gift and I appreciate it very much. My opinion is nothing against Matt. Matt, I love you. But this was the worst thing I've ever read.

The Marbled Swarm is a first person sadomasochistic-homoerotic-incestuous-cannibalistic narrative that calls itself a novel. The narrator speaks in 'the marbled swarm' which is a certain effected way of communicating that is vague, aristocratic, and never fully describes anything. The narrative follows the main character through undefined scenes through an undefined time line. It jumps through time so freely and describes the action so ambiguously it's never clear what the story is about. There are no real characters, there is no real story, nothing happens.

And the sex stuff. Woof. Incest between underage brothers. Male homosexual rape, then murder, then cannibalism. On and on. Just hard to take. It's a very short book. I was half way through it before I realized it wasn't about anything and things it were about were horrifying. It's written in such a heightened, sophisticated, psychotic way. It's only a story because it says it is. It's not prose, it's not poetry. It's inappropriate, boring, ramblings.

I finished it through force of will so I could speak about it fully if I ever had the fortune to meet someone who actually enjoyed it. After I finished it I thought back trying to think of a book that I liked less. I couldn't. I can now answer the question. Whats the worst book you ever read? For that I'm glad. Question answered.

Don't read this book.