Happy Baby

Most people will, I suspect, find this book offensive and won't read beyond the first of a number of sado-masochistic scenes. This is a pity because the book is not really about sex. It's a story told in reverse of the life of a young man and his addiction to pain as a way of feeling something that can change his world. As the story moves on its backward trajectory we come to understand what happened to the happy baby of the title, including the death of his mother and his induction into the welfare system that `cares for' orphans in the USA. In the opening chapter Theo goes back to his home-town, Chicago, and Maria, his first girlfriend, in an effort to understand the degrading and shocking actions that have shaped his life. From there we are on a journey back to Theo's beginnings and the abuse he suffered during adolescence.It is not a comfortable or uplifting read but Elliott does not wallow in the seedier elements, and his language and style are light, distinct and literary. It is beautifully spare and well-written, if barbed by the darkness of a wasted life and exemplified by the harsh irony of the title.

Not my genre, but I like Stephen Elliott's writing, I wish he had more. I had to read this after Adderral Diaries.

"Happy Baby" is about a child who experiences so much abuse that it is all he knows and when he grows up, finally able to get away from it, he seeks it out himself. It's like when the abuser robs you of your childhood and innocence he robs it forever; it's a scar that cannot heal and will most likely only get worse.The story is told in reverse and gets much more emotionally involving as it progresses. I found the sections detailing the main character's current life a bit trite. I just felt like I had read it a million times before, with the sadism and the brief European stop-off and the drug use. But when we get to his youth and read in stark detail what went on as he bounced from different child homes, the book is compelling. Elliott is exquisite here, not wasting a word, masterfully painting a grim picture of these lost children. Even more fascinating is the "relationship" Theo has with a guard who abuses him but also protects him. Theo's mind is not mature enough to comprehend what's going on with this man, and he stays confused even as an adult -- seeking him out not with anger but curiosity and want.It's not surprising to hear that this book is autobiographical; the authenticity of the state homes (the characters, Theo's accepting demeanor) is razor sharp. I honestly wish the book spent more time there instead of dealing with adult Theo's problems, which felt like a Michael Hemmingson book.If anything, I wish adult Theo was more reflective. He repeatedly mentions that getting physically hurt clears his mind, but I'm not sure it's totally explained why he doesn't try to stop this trend in his life. Is it simply an addiction? There seems to be a slight sense of its absurdity, so why does he do it?I'm somewhat ambivalent about this novel. While I was underwhelmed by the section on his adulthood, I thought when examining his youth it was quite powerful. I would definitely recommend this if the subject interests you, and I will be seeking out more of Elliot's work.I think this subject matter -- of how events in our childhood, which our nascent brains can't quite figure out and therefore create these confused, contrasting proclivities for us as adults -- is an intriguing, unsettling one. Mary Gaitskill does an excellent job of exploring it in her novel "Two Girls Fat and Thin." Two Girls Fat and Thin

It's a good book, if you're up for an emotional ride.

Stephen Elliot is not for everyone. He's been around the block a few times and has no qualms telling it like it is. I love his work but it's not as polished as what many people are used too.

Chronologically reversed, Happy Baby engages the interiority of its characters with a deep sense of discovery. The lyrical engine of the novel contains subtlety, torque, and a kind of dauntless embrace of suffering and consolation that succeeds in drawing from the well of terror the water of exultation. In the face of the desolate, Elliott's art is tender, fearless, lovely.

Not the type of story I usually review. It is a story collection, sort of a memoire, not sure exactely how much of it is real and how much is fiction though. It's got a bit of sex but this is defenitely not a work of erotica. It's a sad story of a boy who lost his parents and became the ward of the state. He got abused, teased and threathened by his peers as well as the adults who were responsible of him. It's at time touching, disheartening, sad. You'll be immerse into a large array of emotions.The writing style is very mininalistic. It uses short sentences with very few adjectives and adverbs, which enhanced the dramatic atmosphere of it. I did not like how drastically the narrative jumped from places, or times, or characters. It gets sometimes confusing I found.A good emotional read. Read it if you'd like to have an idea of what the life of these kids can be like.

This book steamrolled me and depressed the s*** out of me, I cried for a good ten minutes afterwards and was trying to explain to my boyfriend why it was so painful and sad, but couldn't.

Stephen Elliot is a wonderful writer. It's like having an old friend tell you stories.If you want to know what it's like to read a Stephen Elliot book, check out my review on "A Life Without consequences"

Great read

He writes like no one else....That's all there is to say, nothing else. Read and enjoy it...in one sitting.

Not a dull read. Helped me a lot to jump start my acting career. Like said in the title, full of information. Excellent acting coach.

As a product of the Illinois group home system, it is clear to me that this author has never lived in a group home,or even been homeless, and that his entire story is invented for the purpose of advancing a literary career based on a fake persona and an imaginary background. Eminem and Jim Frey have done this successfully, and perhaps there is room for one more.