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Happy Mutant Baby Pills
From the acclaimed and controversial author of Permanent Midnight comes a savagely satiric novel about taking revenge on those who poison the world in order to sell the cure
Lloyd has a particular set of skills. He writes the small print for presciption drugs, marital aids, and incontinence products. The clients present him with a list of possible side effects, and his job is "to recite and minimize-sometimes by just saying them really fast-other times by finding the language that can render them acceptable." The results are ingenious. The methods diabolical.
Lloyd has a habit, too. He cops smack during coffee breaks at his new job writing copy for Christian Swingles, an online dating service for the faithful. He finds a precarious balance between hackwork and heroin until he encounters Nora, a mysterious and troubled young woman, a Sylvia Plath with tattoos and implants, who asks for his help.
Lloyd falls swiftly in love, but Nora bestows her affections at a cost. Before Lloyd clears his head from the fog of romance, he finds himself complicit in Nora's grand scheme to horrify the world, to exact revenge on those who poison the populace in order to sell them the cure.
Stahl's gleefully twisted, maniacally brilliant prose, will delight, appall, and prove, once again, that Stahl is "a better-than-Burroughs virtuoso" (New Yorker).
Lloyd has a particular set of skills. He writes the small print for presciption drugs, marital aids, and incontinence products. The clients present him with a list of possible side effects, and his job is "to recite and minimize-sometimes by just saying them really fast-other times by finding the language that can render them acceptable." The results are ingenious. The methods diabolical.
Lloyd has a habit, too. He cops smack during coffee breaks at his new job writing copy for Christian Swingles, an online dating service for the faithful. He finds a precarious balance between hackwork and heroin until he encounters Nora, a mysterious and troubled young woman, a Sylvia Plath with tattoos and implants, who asks for his help.
Lloyd falls swiftly in love, but Nora bestows her affections at a cost. Before Lloyd clears his head from the fog of romance, he finds himself complicit in Nora's grand scheme to horrify the world, to exact revenge on those who poison the populace in order to sell them the cure.
Stahl's gleefully twisted, maniacally brilliant prose, will delight, appall, and prove, once again, that Stahl is "a better-than-Burroughs virtuoso" (New Yorker).
304 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 5, 2013
19 people are currently reading
665 people want to read
About the author
Jerry Stahl
38 books225 followersJerry Stahl (born September 28, 1953) is an American novelist and screenwriter, He is best known for the darkly comedic tale of addiction, Permanent Midnight, which was revered by critics and an ever-growing cult of devoted readers, as one of the most compelling, contemporary memoirs. A film adaptation soon followed with Ben Stiller in the lead role, which is widely considered to be Mr. Stiller’s breakthrough performance. Since their initial paring, the two have become lifelong friends and collaborators.
One of Stahl’s mentors and greatest influences, the late American Novelist, Hubert Selby, Jr. had this to say about Permanent Midnight, “Absolutely compelling... Permanent Midnight is an extraordinary accomplishment... A remarkable book that will be of great value to people who feel isolated, alienated, and overwhelmed by the circumstances of their lives.”
Jerry Stahl has worked extensively in film and television.
One of Stahl’s mentors and greatest influences, the late American Novelist, Hubert Selby, Jr. had this to say about Permanent Midnight, “Absolutely compelling... Permanent Midnight is an extraordinary accomplishment... A remarkable book that will be of great value to people who feel isolated, alienated, and overwhelmed by the circumstances of their lives.”
Jerry Stahl has worked extensively in film and television.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews
August 6, 2021
I don’t write reviews.
I am experiencing extreme ambivalence when thinking about this story. I think it’s indicative of the better work Stahl can produce, but did I enjoy it? Many times it frustrated me. I found the characters’ motivations weak and personalities shallow. Again that’s Stahl.
I never felt like I’d stop reading before the reveal, though, as it turned out, it wasn’t much of a reveal. The facts of the poisons of our society reminded me that when I say these things I’m called a conspiracy theorist, but when politically-minded socially-accepted “liberals” say them, it’s totally fine. The repetitive listing syndrome did indeed (as many reviewers noted) give a Chuck Palahniuk vibe. I don’t think it was intentional.
The post-modern hellscape we live in really sucks. I remember when objective truth existed. Stahl is in the tail-end of his generation of writers. He remembers those times of real reality too. Maybe that’s why I read this book.
I am experiencing extreme ambivalence when thinking about this story. I think it’s indicative of the better work Stahl can produce, but did I enjoy it? Many times it frustrated me. I found the characters’ motivations weak and personalities shallow. Again that’s Stahl.
I never felt like I’d stop reading before the reveal, though, as it turned out, it wasn’t much of a reveal. The facts of the poisons of our society reminded me that when I say these things I’m called a conspiracy theorist, but when politically-minded socially-accepted “liberals” say them, it’s totally fine. The repetitive listing syndrome did indeed (as many reviewers noted) give a Chuck Palahniuk vibe. I don’t think it was intentional.
The post-modern hellscape we live in really sucks. I remember when objective truth existed. Stahl is in the tail-end of his generation of writers. He remembers those times of real reality too. Maybe that’s why I read this book.
December 1, 2013
Happy Mutant Baby Pills isn't a novel written for the typical soccer mom who enjoys books written by Patterson and Grisham. These soccer moms wax poetic goo over the books of the month and don't understand a book like this. That's ok because there is an audience for these types of books and odds are it's soccer mom free.
Happy Mutant is a dark, comedic novel that doesn't follow the typical cookie cutter format of fiction. Sometimes there are no happy endings and what appears to be a love story is really just one sided infatuation that grows into something bizarre. Mutant is a great novel because of the characters and their addictions and in the case of Nora her slowly evolving insanity and pregnancy.
Jerry Stahl has written a novel that will affect you long after you read it. These aren't characters that you can even identify with and hell, you may not even like them that's what makes this novel so good. You aren't supposed to like them or even identify with them. You're merely there as an observer to the chaos as it happens and Stahl is the kind of writer that pulls you into the story and knows that sometimes it's not the characters that often carry a novel but the story itself. The events that unfold will no doubt offend and shock the soccer mom crowd and even hardcore fans of even the most hardcore fiction will be a little taken aback by Stahl's novel.
Happy Mutant Baby Pills is a book for those that like their fiction dark and edgy. It's a novel that some would find shocking or maybe even offensive but despite that it's a novel that should be read by everyone. This is one of those destined to be a classic underground novels that people will still be talking about ten years from now. Do yourself a favor and read this book.
Happy Mutant is a dark, comedic novel that doesn't follow the typical cookie cutter format of fiction. Sometimes there are no happy endings and what appears to be a love story is really just one sided infatuation that grows into something bizarre. Mutant is a great novel because of the characters and their addictions and in the case of Nora her slowly evolving insanity and pregnancy.
Jerry Stahl has written a novel that will affect you long after you read it. These aren't characters that you can even identify with and hell, you may not even like them that's what makes this novel so good. You aren't supposed to like them or even identify with them. You're merely there as an observer to the chaos as it happens and Stahl is the kind of writer that pulls you into the story and knows that sometimes it's not the characters that often carry a novel but the story itself. The events that unfold will no doubt offend and shock the soccer mom crowd and even hardcore fans of even the most hardcore fiction will be a little taken aback by Stahl's novel.
Happy Mutant Baby Pills is a book for those that like their fiction dark and edgy. It's a novel that some would find shocking or maybe even offensive but despite that it's a novel that should be read by everyone. This is one of those destined to be a classic underground novels that people will still be talking about ten years from now. Do yourself a favor and read this book.
July 21, 2018
Reminiscent of Phalinuck, Stahl keeps the weird-marginal-people needle firmly redlined. Unfortunately he reminds me of Phalinuck's later half-assed cash-in/sell-outs, not his early genius that I so enjoyed.
The plot is missing the imagination and details to make it really work. Shock factors are hung on the story like ornaments. Not integral to the plot, they come off gratuitous. He is also missing humor and humanity in his characters. They seem snarky and one dimensional. His social commentary is ham-handed.
It was bad enough that I was happy when it was over. His style was intriguing enough I will read Stahl again in the hopes this was not his best work.
The plot is missing the imagination and details to make it really work. Shock factors are hung on the story like ornaments. Not integral to the plot, they come off gratuitous. He is also missing humor and humanity in his characters. They seem snarky and one dimensional. His social commentary is ham-handed.
It was bad enough that I was happy when it was over. His style was intriguing enough I will read Stahl again in the hopes this was not his best work.
October 7, 2015
Really pleasantly surprised. I checked out this book at the same time as Boxer, Beetle. I laid it aside and started on Ned Bauman's book. It took me forever to grind through the first half of Boxer, Beetle before I decided I wasn't enjoying what I was reading every time I picked the book up. Thereafter, I quit Boxer, Beetle and picked up Stahl's book of which I had zero preconceptions. I didn't even know what it was about. Had missed its release and had just previously enjoyed some of Stahl's work. And I found it fantastic. It was very strange. Funny. Disgusting. Perverted. And ultimately I enjoyed picking it up every time I was going to read to see what would happen. One of the best books I've read this year.
April 27, 2013
This can best best described as a very eye opening read. If that is, you want to open your eyes to find that you have stumbled into the extremely interesting and chemically convoluted lives of a heroine addicted Lloyd, and his equally addicted, exponentially more self destructive, and just plain "nutcase" of a girlfriend, Nora.
What this book is:
1. An honest exploration of chemically induced insanity allowed to roam free.
2. Proof that codependency is a bad thing.
3. Examples of two very smart people doing very stupid things while using said intelligence to justify said insanity.
4. A socially relevant, beautifully written, darkly comical look at one couple's greatest fears and the monsters that helped create them.
What this book is not:
1. Run of the mill fiction.
2. Mindless
3. For everyone.
If you like your reads a little dark, a little disturbing, a little poignant, and a whole lot WTF?
Read this book.
Find this review on my blog here:
http://www.wtfareyoureading.com/2013/...
What this book is:
1. An honest exploration of chemically induced insanity allowed to roam free.
2. Proof that codependency is a bad thing.
3. Examples of two very smart people doing very stupid things while using said intelligence to justify said insanity.
4. A socially relevant, beautifully written, darkly comical look at one couple's greatest fears and the monsters that helped create them.
What this book is not:
1. Run of the mill fiction.
2. Mindless
3. For everyone.
If you like your reads a little dark, a little disturbing, a little poignant, and a whole lot WTF?
Read this book.
Find this review on my blog here:
http://www.wtfareyoureading.com/2013/...
August 3, 2014
A heroin addict who makes his living writing the side-effects lists for pharmaceuticals hooks up with a woman who is bent on giving birth to a deformed baby as protest against the chemical industry in this satire from "Absolute Midnight" scribe Jerry Stahl.
I am a big fan of Jerry Stahl. His CSI episodes were the best, and his previous books "Perv: A Love Story", "Plainclothes Naked", and "I, Fatty" were all entertaining, well written, and funny. His memoire "Permanent Midnight" was raw, revealing, and worthy of his own adaptation as the equally riveting film.
Every good author takes a misstep here and there, and I think "Happy Mutant Baby Pills" might be Stahl's. It's well written, but it's not an easy read. I am not easily rattled, but the gross-out factor in this book is at the edge of my endurance. That aside, the satire is pretty sharp. I think what really bothers me about this book is that I couldn't find a single character to respect, identify with, or feel empathy for. That might have been his point.
I am a big fan of Jerry Stahl. His CSI episodes were the best, and his previous books "Perv: A Love Story", "Plainclothes Naked", and "I, Fatty" were all entertaining, well written, and funny. His memoire "Permanent Midnight" was raw, revealing, and worthy of his own adaptation as the equally riveting film.
Every good author takes a misstep here and there, and I think "Happy Mutant Baby Pills" might be Stahl's. It's well written, but it's not an easy read. I am not easily rattled, but the gross-out factor in this book is at the edge of my endurance. That aside, the satire is pretty sharp. I think what really bothers me about this book is that I couldn't find a single character to respect, identify with, or feel empathy for. That might have been his point.
January 24, 2015
I think that Jerry should stick to writing about heroin, but forget the plot.
November 25, 2013
Well, that was an F^©*ed up read....
I really don't know if I feel queasy about the entire basis of the book or the thoughts behind it. I have to constantly remind myself that the main character/narrator (Lloyd) is a confirmed, and still somewhat in major denial, heroin junkie. That being said, it wasn't Lloyd that bothered me. As a matter of fact, the guy kinda grew on me.
His "interest" (Nora) is really crazy. To make matters worse, there may be a *little truth to her insanity. All of her illusions are based on harmful side effects of things most of us interact with on a regular basis.
Things I liked about this book: it hooks you in early. Like I said, Lloyd seems like a decent guy, if you can get past his heroin tracks. This book also give you insight on things you wouldn't ever think about ( ie: who writes those prescription drug ads....). I also enjoyed the current feel of the setting. It is based in the concept of the last few years, things the reader will recall happening in the news.
Things that will make you think twice: First, it is not for a weak stomach. There are sex scenes that make "Shades" feel clean. There are points about human function described in colorful detail that might send you into the bathroom. There are things that occur that will make your body cringe. Second, the title is pretty much straight on with the story. Don't mislead yourself into thinking there is much else. Third, watch out for political subtext. I am always weary of an author with an agenda.
I really don't know if I feel queasy about the entire basis of the book or the thoughts behind it. I have to constantly remind myself that the main character/narrator (Lloyd) is a confirmed, and still somewhat in major denial, heroin junkie. That being said, it wasn't Lloyd that bothered me. As a matter of fact, the guy kinda grew on me.
His "interest" (Nora) is really crazy. To make matters worse, there may be a *little truth to her insanity. All of her illusions are based on harmful side effects of things most of us interact with on a regular basis.
Things I liked about this book: it hooks you in early. Like I said, Lloyd seems like a decent guy, if you can get past his heroin tracks. This book also give you insight on things you wouldn't ever think about ( ie: who writes those prescription drug ads....). I also enjoyed the current feel of the setting. It is based in the concept of the last few years, things the reader will recall happening in the news.
Things that will make you think twice: First, it is not for a weak stomach. There are sex scenes that make "Shades" feel clean. There are points about human function described in colorful detail that might send you into the bathroom. There are things that occur that will make your body cringe. Second, the title is pretty much straight on with the story. Don't mislead yourself into thinking there is much else. Third, watch out for political subtext. I am always weary of an author with an agenda.
October 6, 2014
Jerry Stahl REALLY likes recurring themes. I've noticed that this book is essentially the protagonist from Pain Killers transposed into a different situation. Jerry likes vaguely Jewish IV drug addicts who are missing the tip of their middle finger, know a lot about Josef Mengele, write for TV, steal a Prius, and fall in love with a psycho with black hair and bangs. There are a lot of oddly specific things across the board with a Stahl protagonist, but I suppose he's just writing what he knows. I felt the ending redeemed the novel, which I found redundant to read at most points because of its blatant similarity to Pain Killers, which I just finished. (Didn't I already read this book?) - the conclusion passes some excellent commentary that I felt was very effective. This was a quick read.
July 19, 2014
I have to admit, this is an interesting novel, beyond a shadow of a doubt. However, it feels like it's trying a little bit too hard to be absurd/crude at times, so it ends up feeling like a 16 year old boy trying to gross out his friends. That said, it's interesting, and at times it reminded me of Delillo's White Noise, which is an impressive absurd novel. Still, it falls a little bit flat, especially at the end. I feel like there were a lot of more interesting themes raised in passing that weren't really addressed.
March 25, 2024
trying too hard to be edgy. to me, the book is so hyper focused on “brooding darkness” that it didn’t deliver on satire. It feels like something the guy you date in your early 20s who is a “struggling artist” (with wealthy parents) who lives in a loft (paid for by said parents) would like in an attempt to be “controversial” and “nuanced” and says things like “you just don’t get it” if you have an opinion different from his.
this is my first Jerry Stahl book I’ve read, so maybe that’s where I went wrong, perhaps I should try Permanent Midnight.
January 23, 2019
Just fucked up enough to keep my interest, but the absolutely unnecessary violently transphobic bullshit sprinkled in ruined what could have been a good novel. Addiction was well done and I did like many of his turns of phrase; plot was meh and absolutely reminiscent of Palahniuk.
May 11, 2019
Disturbing, but in the best possible way. Not for rom com or mainstream book club fiction fans, definitely 100% Stahl. If you’re squeamish about graphic sex, drug use, adult themes or reality in general, skip it.
May 28, 2025
The early 2010s backdrop was enchanting— Occupy, fair trade Seattle coffee shops, Tumblr blogs. Truly a horrific story though.
“We are all good Americans. In permanent re-recovery, freer than we deserve, with lifetimes of savage, happy amends ahead of us” (256).
“We are all good Americans. In permanent re-recovery, freer than we deserve, with lifetimes of savage, happy amends ahead of us” (256).
January 29, 2019
One of the weirdest , most disturbing things I have read.
January 3, 2021
I found it funny at the beginning but quickly lost interest.
October 22, 2013
"The worst side effects are the ones we don't see."
It's hard to fall head over heels for a book without a single character with whom you can relate, let alone LIKE. Happy Mutant Baby Pills is filled with detestable characters that somehow manage to populate a fascinating - if at times INSANE - story.
As a writer of prescription side effects, Lloyd is less of a character in a story than an illustration of what ails our current society. A pharmaceutical company wants to sell an expensive drug? Make up an ailment to treat! And when Lloyd meets love-at-first-sight Nora on a bus, the story gets more bizarre and the social commentary more intense. The targets? Occupy Wall Street, consumerism, capitalism and, especially, the devastating effects of products and drugs we knowingly use each and every day.
I can't say I loved this book, because it was uncomfortable and cringe-worthy with hard-to-like characters, but I could certainly appreciate the statement it made throughout the pages of this unique and entertaining read.
It's hard to fall head over heels for a book without a single character with whom you can relate, let alone LIKE. Happy Mutant Baby Pills is filled with detestable characters that somehow manage to populate a fascinating - if at times INSANE - story.
As a writer of prescription side effects, Lloyd is less of a character in a story than an illustration of what ails our current society. A pharmaceutical company wants to sell an expensive drug? Make up an ailment to treat! And when Lloyd meets love-at-first-sight Nora on a bus, the story gets more bizarre and the social commentary more intense. The targets? Occupy Wall Street, consumerism, capitalism and, especially, the devastating effects of products and drugs we knowingly use each and every day.
I can't say I loved this book, because it was uncomfortable and cringe-worthy with hard-to-like characters, but I could certainly appreciate the statement it made throughout the pages of this unique and entertaining read.
February 8, 2014
Some of Jerry's best work here. Pure and raw unfiltered truth. Not for those who like to walk through life with blinders on. So many great quotes. Following are some of my favs:
- Now it’s a family place. The way homeless shelters have become family fun zones. Without the fun.
- Does life turn us into what we are or keep us from ever having to find out? I guess it depends on the life.
- Listen. Some people play sports and some people watch them. We grow up, here in America, watching death. Our favorite form of recreation. Death-watching. Violence-savoring.
- What goes up, must go sideways.
- Future archaeologists (assuming there’s a future) will dig through our detritus and find more pill bottles than books, iPads, or Kindles—life, in America, now being something you treat, not something you live. What are we now, but our symptoms?
- Now it’s a family place. The way homeless shelters have become family fun zones. Without the fun.
- Does life turn us into what we are or keep us from ever having to find out? I guess it depends on the life.
- Listen. Some people play sports and some people watch them. We grow up, here in America, watching death. Our favorite form of recreation. Death-watching. Violence-savoring.
- What goes up, must go sideways.
- Future archaeologists (assuming there’s a future) will dig through our detritus and find more pill bottles than books, iPads, or Kindles—life, in America, now being something you treat, not something you live. What are we now, but our symptoms?
August 10, 2016
Lloyd is a man who goes through the motions instead of being proactive. Save for that bathroom stall thing, but even then it's a flush and a toss. These motions are filled with dark and disturbing notions. A scathing raw peel of what's around us, infecting and soaking into us. Of course he hooks up with a woman who is so far beyond a level of extreme that slashing the tunes on your air guitar pales in comparison with the nuts rattling in her brain.
This is not for those with queasy stomachs or those with a dainty outlook on life. Harsh, funny and filled with colourful sentences such as "The stink was stripping the stars from my eyes." and "Can you smell those scorched pubes?" A breezy, interesting read.
This is not for those with queasy stomachs or those with a dainty outlook on life. Harsh, funny and filled with colourful sentences such as "The stink was stripping the stars from my eyes." and "Can you smell those scorched pubes?" A breezy, interesting read.
dnf
August 22, 2017First, I would like to thank goodreads and Jerry Stahl for giving me the chance to read the review copy of Happy Mutant Baby Pills.
I didn't like the book as soon as I started it. I felt that the author was trying too hard to be funny or to shock. If he is not trying to be funny or shock... I was just not impressed.I read probably the first and second chapter before dnfing it. It just wasn't for me.
I think that this book would be good for people who like something different and in their face.
I didn't like the book as soon as I started it. I felt that the author was trying too hard to be funny or to shock. If he is not trying to be funny or shock... I was just not impressed.I read probably the first and second chapter before dnfing it. It just wasn't for me.
I think that this book would be good for people who like something different and in their face.
August 10, 2013
I received this galley book as a First Reads.
This was a fascinating read. At times I cringed, at other times I laughed out loud.
Told in the first-person by Lloyd, a writer of sorts who is also a heroin addict. When he meets Nora, a seriously disturbed individual, he falls quickly in love and into trouble.
Nora's plan to expose the big chemical companies and the government for poisoning the earth and the people in it is horrifying. But Lloyd is too far gone to not participate. The ending was both funny, and sadly touching.
Very thought provoking, but entertaining reading.
This was a fascinating read. At times I cringed, at other times I laughed out loud.
Told in the first-person by Lloyd, a writer of sorts who is also a heroin addict. When he meets Nora, a seriously disturbed individual, he falls quickly in love and into trouble.
Nora's plan to expose the big chemical companies and the government for poisoning the earth and the people in it is horrifying. But Lloyd is too far gone to not participate. The ending was both funny, and sadly touching.
Very thought provoking, but entertaining reading.
August 8, 2014
I had to stop reading, stop caring. What started off as an interesting look into the author's experience with heroine and pharmaceutic industry and his experience as a copywriter / junkie / served time for it whatever became a circus of not finding any redemption but more shock performance that was unbelievable. I liked his point of view on the lies of advertising, but beyond that, I found no hero in this novel and no reason to finish this. Yawwwn!!
June 24, 2014
Lloyd does crack when he's not busy writing copy for Christian Mingle. A step down from writing the "side effects" copy for prescription drugs. Then he meets the woman of his dreams, and things get worse.
I laughed out loud at some passages, and then found myself speed-reading through others. Lloyd is a deeply messed up guy.
I laughed out loud at some passages, and then found myself speed-reading through others. Lloyd is a deeply messed up guy.
April 28, 2015
I won a free copy of this book from the goodreads giveaways. I plan on reading it soon when I have some extra free time.
I read the first couple of chapters, I skimmed the rest barely reading it. A little too graphic for my taste, not my style. Too much drug use also.
I read the first couple of chapters, I skimmed the rest barely reading it. A little too graphic for my taste, not my style. Too much drug use also.
August 10, 2016
Rolled my eyes quite a bit for a good part of the book, but I still enjoyed it. An interesting perspective told from the eyes of an unstable junkie (when aren't they?) that gave me a glimpse of a different life.
March 23, 2015
This book started off with great potential. shortly thereafter it went straight to way to much BS with no glue to hold a storyline together. Maybe you need to be doped up to enjoy it? The only grasp it rated one star was originality and the hope of potential at the first of the book.
November 21, 2013
Review TK.
January 7, 2014
I loved this book, but it is messed up! Not for everybody.
January 21, 2014
Bizarre just for the sake of being bizarre. Despite being thoroughly entertaining and consistently witty, this book failed to inspire even a single thought outside of "what the actual fuck."
Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews