Whores for Gloria

A Novel (Contemporary American Fiction)

160 pages

English language

Published Feb. 1, 1994 by Penguin (Non-Classics).

ISBN:
978-0-14-023157-1
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4 stars (1 review)

1 edition

Review of 'Whores for Gloria' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

"For we all must build our worlds around us, bravely or dreamily, as long as we can we shelter ourselves from the rain, walling ourselves in gorgeously." (53)

The true cleverness and weight of this novel comes after the main story has ended and the book lists a sociological glossary of terms used in the book, then proceeds to outline generalized descriptions pulled from Vollmann's presumed field work in SF's tenderloin among the pimps and prostitutes in the area. The moment you read this last part is the moment you understand how Vollmann's stolen stories worked to create the narrative you just read. His own abstractions, like Jimmy's desperate attempts at forming Gloria, are how he wrote the novel and are, of course, also a construction.

The insight forced by the end bring the novel around to many interesting ideas mainly plotted around constructions formed from abstractions: gender identity, heroism, …