Jerk [Hardcover]

Dennis Cooper (Author), Nayland Blake (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 2, 1993

The confession of serial killer David Brooks provides the starting point for Cooper's eerie tale, oddly illustrated by Blake's marionettes and puppets.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Though this work is based in a true story, the subject matter here is not far afield from Cooper's past fiction ( Wrong, LJ 5/15/92; Frisk , Grove 1991). An accomplice to early-Seventies serial killer Dean Corll, David Brooks alternates his catharsis-on-tour puppet show with confessional essays. Both are deadpan descriptions of his last days with Corll and fellow accomplice Wayne Henley. The book closes with a term paper written by a student analyzing this play/reading, seen with his psychology class earlier in the term. The various narators' voices are finely tuned, and the contrast of overwrought prose with banal observation in the closing essay is perfectly executed. Jerk adroitly raises anew questions about the boundaries of fiction, nonfiction, and criticism while remaining an engrossing story. Included are ten photos of conceptual artist Nayland Blake's puppets, which inspired this novella. Cooper's most complex and complete work yet belongs in all literary fiction collections; while large contemporary art collections should consider for Blake's work. --Eric Bryant, "Library Journal"
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 56 pages
• Publisher: Artspace Books; 1st edition (September 2, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0963109510
• ISBN-13: 978-0963109514
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 6.2 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,583,005 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A pretty little thing, this., July 26, 2005

By 

Robert P. Beveridge "xterminal" (Lakewood, OH) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Jerk (Hardcover)

Dennis Cooper, Jerk (Artspace, 1993)

Dennis Cooper's short story "Jerk" here gets the royal Artspace treatment, with odd puppet sculptures by Nayland Blake that perfectly complement the text. While it predates the obvious comparison, think of this as a really, really dark and twisted Being John Malkovich without the ear tunnel.

David Brooks was one of serial killer Dean Corll's two teenaged associates. As the book opens, Brooks has been in prison for some time, and has turned to puppetry as a form of art therapy. With the exception of a few closing pages, the entire story takes place at one of Brooks' puppet shows; Brooks has the audience (and us) read two pieces which he hasn't yet been able to conceptualize in puppetry yet, and plays out long scenes with the puppets at other times. (Note; don't take any of this, despite the historical accuracy of some of the characters, as accurate; it is Corll's other associate, Wayne Henley, who has become known for turning to art therapy in prison; his paintings are in demand on ebay.) Having now read a few of Cooper's novels, I have to say that the short form, I think, works somewhat better for him; "Jerk"'s brevity plays up the essential weirdness of the scenes Cooper creates, without ending up at an emotional state that comes off as overly world-weary.

Nicely done, and a pretty good intro to the weird world of Dennis Cooper.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars misleading, January 30, 2011

By 

Thomas Ledcke "tlstory" (Seattle, WA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Jerk (P.S.) (Kindle Edition)

Enjoyed the story but from the description it says that the book is over two hundred pages and in reality this story is less than thirty pages

4 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dennis Cooper at his best, September 2, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Jerk (Hardcover)

Shocking and graphic... yet quite moving. Interesting style, from prose to drama to letter excerpt. And to make it even more gruesome and frightening, it's based on a real-life story.