Screenwriter/director James Gunn’s first and, to date, only novel should have had the effect of a modern-day The Catcher in the Rye for twentysomethings at the beginning of the 21st century. It’s that poetically and politically incorrect, that unflinchingly honest, and that painfully and brutally funny. It’s also that good.
Though the book has been described by Gunn as “emotionally honest” fiction, it follows a character named, well, James Gunn. He is an angry, drunken, self-loathing narcissist who is unable to form an adult relationship with anyone but his younger brother. He works as a hospital orderly and becomes, in his mid-20’s, obsessed with collecting nostalgic (i.e. expensive) toys that were manufactured around the time of his childhood. In order to supplement his new hobby/addiction, Gunn cops the good drugs at his job and sells them in bulk to street dealers.
The book is just as pathetic, hilarious, and nasty as its premise suggests. It weaves between stories of Gunn’s dysfunctional childhood and his depraved adulthood, providing a full and layered presentation of a character trying to escape his past by dwelling in it. As despicable as the character of Gunn often is, he’s always painfully, messily, and relatably human.
The strength of The Toy Collector is that it refuses to pull any punches. The reader has to succumb to the fact that they could flinch, cry, laugh hysterically, or recoil in disgust at any moment. It’s a great ride by a great storyteller in complete control of his voice and with complete discipline over his abilities.
The Toy Collector stands high amongst Gunn’s essential writing/directing credits. It is the hidden key to his universe, providing insight into his voice, style, and (recently controversially) twisted sense of humor. Like The Specials, Slither, and Super, The Toy Collector is an early, edgy, and personal work by James Gunn that was created before he discovered mass appeal with his two excellent Guardians of the Galaxy films.
While a film adaptation would be intriguing, The Toy Collector simply doesn’t need one. Gunn’s prose is so personal and candid that it’s hard to imagine the story unfolding through any other medium. It’s a story that benefits from being told in private, where one can freely laugh or cry at the insightful and graceful venom that spewed out of James Gunn and resulted in The Toy Collector.
GRADE: A
