The Bighead (Author's Preferred Version) (1999) - Plot & Excerpts
**********SPOILER*****************This is one gross book full of sick and cruel acts. Edward Lee’s terrific writing style kept me going to the end of the book. This is basically 315 pages of redneck jokes contained in a hardback book. At first, I was wondering whether it has any philosophical content, such as a Nietzschean statement about nihilism or death of God, but I think it is basically a book of cruel redneck jokes. It was one insane, meaningless cruel act after another. At first, it was funny, because it was so gross and insane. After countless ones, it grew tiresome. I was hoping that there would be a strong ending to make up for having to read one sick stuff after another. The ending was a disappointment because it didn’t really balance out the amount of violence that I had to read to get there. Everything happened because Bighead was a space alien baby. I don’t see the purpose of the secondary characters of Tritt and Dick, except to add extra cruel padding to what Bighead is already doing. This tells me that the whole book is about how imaginative you can be in destroying and torturing another human being. The title of the book should be 315 Ways To Kill A Red Neck. The content I wasn’t crazy about, but I love Edward Lee’s style of writing. I will definitely check out his other books that I heard were not like this. I would say he would be only one of a few writers that I would put up with such content from, because I sense his finesse and sense of humor.********************************************NOTES BEFORE REVIEW:I'm waiting for it to come in from Amazon. I purchased the illustrated version for additional barf ride, but it's not listed here.6/3/10 The Bighead came in the mail today, the illustrated version. I'll start on it when I'm done with Sparrow Rock. I am thoroughly disappointed in the illustrations. They're black and white, not even glossy. I should have ordered the paperback and save myself some money. The inside of the cover says Rape, Murder, Brain-Eating. Brain-eating...I just had a moment of nostalgia.***************************I don't think I'm going to need the barf bucket. I actually guffawed as I started reading the book. I'm only at the very, very beginning. It is terrific writing. Of course, this is from a person raised on comic books about serial killers and mom killers. 14 inchers, semen slurping, hydrocephalic head, baby in the oven...too funny!All gross stuff aside, Edward Lee's writing is masterful. It is effortless and contemporary. He dances between sentence structures, dots the i's and crosses the t's where it needs to be, and leaves it out where it's not needed.This book is gross, but the writing is terrific. It's a good thing I've been trained in art school to look at all art, no matter how controversial or disgusting. There have been too many instances where great ideas in art were trashed because it upset somebody's constitution.*****************************I’m on P. 62.From P. 55:”...Liked ta suck the hot poop right out’a that tight li’l hole, and it were always easier when they was dead. This gal here, this li’l blondie-well, Bighead could just tell what she’d et yesterday. Fresh corn an’ ham hock an’ steamed collard greens. Coupla fresh water clams in there too,he’s could tell ‘cos clams were always kinda chewy and’d stick ‘tween his back teeth. Ta The Bighead, food always were best comin’ out’a gal’s butt. Ta be sure! Try it sometime!“(Bighead does more gross things, then immediately flipping the page to next chapter...)”My God!“ Jerrica eclaimed, gazing out over the weathered wood veranda. ”Look at all the flowers!“ (then went on the description about the beautiful landscaping)ROFL!!!! I love this roller coaster ride! Edward Lee is a master writer. He is so comfortable in his writing skin that he is able to play with the viewer. I love it when a writer has a bit of BDSM in him. He controls and plays with the reader. I sense that he knows exactly what he’s saying, how he’s putting down the words, and how the reader will react to it.*****************************On p. 85.Edward Lee has a wicked sense of humor. Some of his expressions had me rolling on the floor laughing. From a prostitute, ”...I’ll suck yer peckers so hard your buttholes’ll inhale.“Currently, all of his characters are vivid but separate. It looks like they’re being set up to meet in an explosive way, with Bighead being the catalyst as he makes his way out to society. Can’t wait! ******************************On p. 129I'm hoping to make a big jump in the book this weekend to find the point to one horrendous act after another. I love his writing style, but a book has got to have some sort of a point. I'm hoping I find it soon. Otherwise, it's just gratuitous monstrous acts after another.********************************SPOILER*******On p. 205Just when I was getting disgusted with the book, the plot turns to setting up all the other characters and their personal demons. They are starting to interact with each other, such as when the Father had a run-in with the sadistic Tritt, who's just as bad as Bighead. All this as Bighead has a instinctual calling to head to Luntsville, where these characters reside. There are also a lot of set-ups for surprises. I'm glad I pushed through the first half of this book. Now, I'm very curious as to what is going to happen.
It's almost impossible to review this one because I experience such a weird duality when I read Edward Lee's shit. The decent, mature human being recognizes his books as near-plotless exercises in writing the most heinously gross and offensive horror stories you possibly could pretty much just for the sake of it, which is kinda dumb and sophomoric. However, the dumb, sophomoric 14-year-old in me thinks that that near-pointless exercises in writing the most heinously gross and offensive horror stores you possibly could pretty much for the sake of it is neat. Case in point, I just Wikipedia'd the term "sophomoric humor" and chuckled at the example picture of a traffic sign bearing the words SPEED HUMP.The plot itself actually reminded me more of a movie than novel for some reason. It honestly was like Deliverance, The Hills Have Eyes and Pink Flamingos had a baby, then locked it in a shed and raised it on a steady diet of raw meat and crack cocaine. Edward Lee is essentially the John Waters of horror literature, so I mean take that as you will. If that sounds immature and potentially offensive to you, avoid this like the plague. I can confidently state that if you CAN get disgusted and offended, and by that i mean if you actually have the ability to experience these emotions, you WILL be disgusted and offended. The amount of horrendous violence and sexual deviancy of every kind (and I consider myself pretty accepting of the myriad of sexualities humans display) on display is pretty impressive. I'm usually one of the readers that, when reading some fucked up shit, still assumes the human writing it is probably a very nice, respectful and stable person. That said, I find myself wondering if Edward Lee is a total fucking pervert weirdo when I read his shit.I can definitely say this book would not have worked for me in any format if not for its sense of humor. The book probably sounds cruel-spirited but the utter ridiculousness and blacker-than-night humor keep it in the realm of comic entertainment rather than some fucked up exercise in literary sadism. The ridiculously thick hick accent Lee writes in during the parts concerning the Bighead or the two extremely fucking horrible moonshiner/serial killers was funny. I don't know why, but I think over-the-top stereotypical Southern accents are funny. Probably a combination of my aforementioned immaturity and the fact that to the accent-less Arizonan any kind of exaggerated accent sounds funny and/or interesting. It reminded me of Irvine Welsh's impenetrable Scottish dialect in his books like Filth or Porno. (No, not fucking Trainspotting--I saw the movie.) I'll refrain from describing some of the actual content of the book, both because the fun in this kind of thing is seeing how twisted Edward Lee's imagination is and also because I would probably lose like forty Goodreads friends overnight.Lee's prose also somehow keeps it from becoming too immature and ridiculous. He's a pretty decent writer, which I guess makes his horrible imagination that much grosser. I really can't see myself reading more than a few Lee books to see what all the fuss was about because his shit really is appalling and offends even my calloused sensibilities, but I did overall like this book. I didn't want to get close to it in any way, shape or form but I'm glad I took the time to check out this extremely seedy backwater of horror fiction. I probably would not recommend this one to any of my friends on Goodreads and definitely would not recommend it to any of my friends in the outside world. Why? Because life is difficult enough without creeping someone the fuck out by recommending a book that would have probably seen Lee exiled from society literally any time before like 1970.
What do You think about The Bighead (Author's Preferred Version) (1999)?
Since I finished this book I had to give myself some time to think about how I feel about the whole thing. Since my time reading Header I have to say I have changed to have much respect for Edward Lee stories. They are sicken and glory there is no doubt, but like I mentioned in a previous review there is also something of a kindness within all the blood, guts and violence. This particular book also had violence on men, which was refreshing in a sick way when women tend to be the main victim of abuse. Big head the main protagonist of the story almost ( I could not forgive his raping) become a tragic figure I felt sorry for. The two characters 'Balls' and 'Dicky' I hated with a passion and wanted Big head to kill them most horribly. I hated them the most, while I had much respect for the other characters in the story such as Charity, Alexender, Annie and even Jerrica (although she was quite annoying) the character I felt most sorry for was the grounds keeper, he did not deserve anything that happened to him. Although to be honest a lot of innocents were hurt along the way. Edward Lee biggest strength though is his portrait of economic decline, his mixes in horror with a unusual social view. Even gets people's psychology spot on, all shown with the most sickest and darkest humour I have ever read. It is all shown in a comic book way that makes it so readable for me. So the actual twist in the story I predicted about half way but still was shock by certain points. I highly recommend this book for fans of splatterpunk and strong stomachs. You must may be a veteran of horror but this will still shock you, I promise. I still find his gory parts disturbing, even though I enjoy his works. No other author produces the confusion in my mind then Edward Lee.
—Mehmet
Dieses Buch ist wirklich nichts für zart beseitete - legt euch schon mal die Fieberblasencreme bereit, denn es wird definitv extrem ekelig. Der Autor spielt mit einer Aneinanderreihung von Perversionen um den Leser zu schockieren und an seine Grenzen zu bringen. Die Handlung wird aus mehreren Blickwinkeln erzählt. Zum einen vögelt sich der ungewaschene Bighead durch die Gegend zum anderen ziehen zwei dumme Alkohol-Schmuggler ebenfalls umher, die auch alles knallen und abmurksen was ihnen so vor die Augen kommt. Dabei sag ich nur: Colostoma - pfui ekelhaft! Aufatmen kann der Leser ein wenig bei den anfänglichen Kapiteln der Mädels. Jerrica, eine Journalistin und Charity bilden eine Fahrgemeinschaft in ein ziemliches Kaff - Luntsville. Dort kommen sie bei Charities Tante unter, die eine kleine Gästepension betreibt. Dort zieht auch ein Priester ein, der eine aufgelassene Abtei für eine Wiederbenützung erkunden soll. Somit kommt auch noch der Teufel und Jesus ins Spiel. Ach ja und Jerrica ist natürlich sexsüchtig und auch Charities Tante scheint etwas zu verbergen zu haben.Erst gegen Schluss kommt ein klein wenig Spannung auf ansonsten zog sich das Schema "jemand wird gevögelt und dann abgemurkst und gefoltert in beliebiger Reihenfolge" doch xfach durch. Der Autor verwendet ziemlich viele vulgäre Ausdrücke besonders bei den Perspektiven der Männer.Bei der Beschreibung wie zwei Kinder misshandelt werden hätt ich das Buch dann fast abgebrochen, aber da die Ereignisse dann gestört werden und nur mehr ein paar Seiten übrig waren, hab ich es doch noch beendet.Insgesamt erinnert das Buch an einen dieser Horrorfilme wo nur sinnlos abgeschlachtet wird und es im Endeffekt kein wirkliches Motiv gibt. Das Ende wurde dann überraschend schnell abgehandelt und auch Charity scheint ihr Leben allzu schnell umgekrempelt zu haben. 1,5 Sterne für ekelhaft verstörende Lesestunden - eigentlich kann ich das Buch gar nicht richtg mit Sternen bewerden.
—Bookcrazy
Ed Lee's cult-classic The Bighead pushes the 'backwoods horror' genre as far as it can (seemingly) go. The standard tropes are here- sadistic, barely-literate rednecks, a hideously deformed humanoid monster on the rampage- but they're exaggerated to the point that the novel resembles an X-rated cartoon. Lee writes with id unleashed, reveling in the vilest forms of sex and violence: rape, torture, cannibalism, necrophilia, infanticide, and coprophagia are all lovingly described. Some have called this the grossest novel ever; it's pretty fucking gross (and also pretty funny, if you're a sick fuck), although I didn't find it as deliriously disgusting as Charlee Jacob's insane Haunter (aka Soma).What makes The Bighead more than just a catalog of atrocities is Lee's skill in orchestrating a twisty pulp-gothic plot: he introduces a host of different mysteries and gradually brings them all together for a series of showstopping revelations. The novel's main flaw, however, is the fact that in between all the gnarly shit there's a bunch of filler, perfunctory attempts at character development that slow the pace considerably. So, The Bighead's a pint o' nasty... but it's a curiously diluted brew.Either way, it's a must-read for sick fucks.
—Ben
