This is the story of a circus family who create their own acts when the parents have children with different strange deformities (of the parents' own doing). As the eldest son begins to be more and more successful and earns a devout following, he systematically dismantles and re-creates the circus and his own family in his own destructive way. 
 This was not what I expected. It reminded me a lot of the writing of John Irving, but without the lasting power. I read an article in which Karen Russell highly praised the book which is why I checked it out. However, I couldn't make a real connection with this book in terms of enjoyment. The premise was interesting (even if without much moral value) but in the end, they just weren't good people. So much of the book revolved around exploitation, even when the characters were being told to appreciate the "gifts" they had been given. It was a page turner, but not a great read for me.