From the Library Book Review: Bottomfeeder
Book Review: Bottomfeeder (2007)
Publisher: M Press
Written By: Bob Fingerman
Review By: Kayley Viteo
Last year, I raved about a book called Pariah by Bob Fingerman (seriously, read it). It was an impulse purchase, and after being absolutely blown away by it, I picked up this one to continue what I felt could only be a winning streak. Although I have accidentally read Fingerman’s works backwards (this is his debut novel), the streak does, in fact, continue. However, I do recommend you work the other way around – Bottomfeeder is great, but Pariah is even better.
Phil Merman is your run of the mill 27 year old when he becomes a run of the mill vampire. Fantastically, that’s really all there is to Bottomfeeder’s plot – and to be honest, it doesn’t need anything else. Set in New York City, Merman’s struggle to live with his “disorder” is about as realistic as you can imagine. If I were to ever suddenly be turned into a vampire, I imagine my transformation would happen somewhat like the world Fingerman has created for Merman – that is, basically human. No one suddenly smolders lustfully in corners and makes victims orgasm from bloodsucking, and people’s characters don’t drastically alter. In that way, Bottomfeeder is an almost challenging read. I consider myself a veritable vampire expert having grown up on a steady diet of books, television shows and films, and never has someone so thoroughly taken the romance out of getting the bite.
It is easy to spot Fingerman’s expansive comic book background in Bottomfeeder. Instead of lush descriptions, every line is delivered with a one-two punch mentality. And, much like a comic book, Bottomfeeder is a very quick read. In part, this is due to the likeability of Fingerman’s protaganist, Merman, who is essentially the anti-vampire’s vampire. He’s a loner, but not a sexy one. He has one friend, but it isn’t one he has sexy bloodsucking intercourse with. In fact, everything about this novel – even the sex – is downright un-sexy, which is remarkable since I somehow still walked away from this book having been thoroughly charmed.
That’s the great thing about Bob Fingerman, though. Somehow, despite writing about things that are really fucking disturbing and inhuman, he still manages to comment on the humdrum normality of life. Merman, the smart-ass and cynical vampire is the perfect vehicle for a novel of this nature. Combined with incredibly dark humor and brutal language, Bottomfeeder is witty, intelligent and one of the most unique vampire novels I’ve read in years. If I had to make a comparison, Bob Fingerman reminds me of Chuck Palahniuk, an observation I’m not the first to make.
Although I would confidently categorize Bottomfeeder as a horror-comedy if that distinction existed for novels, there’s nothing about it that is light fare. It is a quick read, but there’s a heavy undercurrent that may take awhile to adjust to. This isn’t glamorous New York City, this isn’t glamorous vampires; this is Queens at its seediest, this is working-class vampirism. If you’re looking for an adrenaline punch of a read, this one will surely knock you out.
