Tonguecat
Peter Verhelst
Rated: 3.92 of 5 stars
3.92
· 12 ratings · 352 pages · Published: 30 Mar 1999
As the novel opens, Prometheus abandons a mythical, primeval world ruled by violence for a cold, earthly city that is perpetually in renewal--a caricature of the city in which we live.
Once descended, Ulrike, an orphaned girl whose body produces music, guides Prometheus though the slums of the city. Prometheus finds himself in a counterculture of squatters, junkies, and storytelling whores--called tonguecats. The fire of resistance is smoldering all through the city; although the court continues to function, opposition to the monarchy mounts, and the king leaves his palace in search of human warmth.
Peter Verhelst's story, together with the city, bursts apart at the seams. Tonguecat is a visionary novel--and a tour de force of imaginative and surreal writing.