I don't want to give away too much with this because then you'll be prepared for what's to come. So let's just say it's a Boy Meets Girl, Boy Gets Girl, Boy Doesn't Want Girl story.
The entire novella is told in the first person, and I don't believe we ever learn the narrator's name, but what we do know is that he's a night security guard at a small hospital and that he's not that picky about the women he beds. And you get the impression that that number is significant. In fact, the girls he has sex with all have one thing in common.
We get the impression that his job is quite boring and uneventful, but all that changes when he receives an emergency call over his walkie that he's needed to handle a situation. And that's where he encounters Helen, and there's something about her that gets under his skin. It's an itch that no amount of scratching can eradicate until he finds out more about her. So he begins stalking her. Kinda. Following her around the hospital via the security cameras as she makes her rounds, trying to find out more about her. When she disappears into a "restricted" area, his curiosity is piqued and he goes to investigate. And that's when he discovers that they're kinda kindred spirits.
What follows is a game of cat and mouse. Helen pursues our "hero," and while our hero is drawn to her, he knows getting involved with her is that last thing he needs to do, but it seems he can't help himself. But eventually they consummate their relationship with predictable results. And that's where I'll leave it because to say more would spoil the fun.
Having read it, I can understand folks' reaction to it, but I just kinda shrugged it off. Meh. Some claim that Morrison wrote the novella strictly for shock value, and that, as the story progresses, he tries to outdo himself with each graphic scene. I've written for shock value, and there's way too much going on and too much insight into the characters for that. What we have here is a love story, not matter how unconventional it might be. Two people with bizarre "quirks" are drawn to each other, unbeknownst at the time that they are toxic to each other. Two people who are traveling their own roads, colliding, and then continuing their journey together, although with different destinations, not knowing or realizing until it's too late that they are poisoning each other. The security, because of his taste in women, has lived his life in the shadows. He doesn't want to stand out, doesn't want to be memorable; he just wants to live and let live. Live in plain sight, don't draw attention to yourself, and you can basically get away with anything, and he does. He knows eventually he will get caught, but he doesn't let that stop him. His fear doesn't govern his life. Helen, on the other hand, lives in the light despite her strange appetites and tries to hide what she is and what she does. She skulks around in the shadows like vermin. As their relationship develops, the poison works its way into their systems, meshes with their very being, and thus corrupts them. The security guard slowly ventures, unwillingly, into the light, while Helen becomes more comfortable with the monster she is and begins to relish the darkness. Of the two, the security guard is the more sympathetic character, and you find yourself feeling sorry for him, strange as that may sound.
Now I don't mean to whitewash the book, as the content is plenty shocking, but the manner in which to the book is written softens the blow. At least for me. The narrative, which is first person, is very relaxed, conversational, like you're talking with your BFF, and it lulls you into a false sense of comfort. And then... BAM!!! Morrison hits you over the head with the first of many vile scenes. But you just sort of float with it. It's like being high and you've ventured outside your body and can view with detachment the scenes as they unfold. I also found there to be a certain poetic beauty to the prose that helped to soften the brutality of the scenes, which is probably why the book didn't affect me the way it did so many others.
Now the question comes... Would I recommend this book? I feel like I'm walking a tightrope with this one with no safety net. If you want a compelling story that's easy to read, then by all means, read it. HOWEVER, if you are in any way sensitive, are easily sickened by scenes of extreme gore and explicit content, have a queasy stomach, are easily offended, or are in any way prudish, DO NOT read this book.
And on a side note... Always leave you laughing. The last sentence of the book... After the dark journey I just took, had me laughing. Yeah, I'm sick and twisted.
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