Fascinating, disgusting, and certainly very disturbing. I read this novel after stumbling upon Jonathan Boulter's essay, The Negative Way of Trauma: Georges Bataille's "Story of the Eye", which I found deeply interesting and compelling. So, of course, I had to read the source material. I can't say I enjoyed the story, but I found it oddly charming when thinking of it as Bataille's examination of violence, anguish, and trauma. Overall, it was a fascinating read, though I wouldn't, in good conscience, recommend it to anyone close to me.