Product Description

Clandestine chemistry and the LA underworld provide the atmosphere for this kaleidoscopic tale of lost memories and the heartbreak of finding them, from the author of "The Contortionist's Handbook". When Eric Ashworth awakens in jail, he has no idea how he got there, or why. His only memory is a woman's name: Desiree. Released on bail and holed up in a low-rent motel, Eric starts to piece together his former life as a chemist at the centre of a desert drug ring with the help of a powerful new hallucinogen which simultaneously loosens his grip on the present. As the events of his past begin to emerge from the confusion of his fragmented memory, Eric must contend with a gnawing paranoia and the need for ever-increasing fixes - not to mention disturbing visits from an intimidating police detective, his former associate Manhattan White and the ominously named Toe Tag. As his grip on reality becomes more tenuous, past and present, reality and fantasy begin to bleed into each other, bringing this visceral, shifting novel of love and loss to its climax.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #48223 in Books
• Published on: 2007-01-02
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 208 pages

Review
'What makes this worth reading is Craig Clevenger's extraordinary prose: the pleasure of text is everything.' Guardian 'What makes the book so unique, so compulsively readable, is Clevenger's ability to make complex images seem so unforced.' Independent on Sunday 'A brilliant satire.' Sainsbury's Magazine 'It's dizzying stuff!no wonder Chuck Palahniuk is singing his praises on the back cover.' Metro Praise for 'The Contortionist's Handbook': 'A dazzling and highly original debut novel which instantly establishes its author as one of the most interesting writers to emerge in years. This book deserves to be massive and I think it will be.' Irvine Welsh 'Craig Clevenger has crafted an unforgettable antihero in John Dolan Vincent. This is an extraordinary debut.' Richard Kelly, director of 'Donnie Darko' 'What sticks out about this remarkable debut are its pitch-perfect shock ending and John Vincent himself -- his complex, conflicting mind, original voice and unnervingly self-defeating existence.' Time Out

Sainsbury’s Magazine
'A brilliant satire.'

Guardian
'What makes this worth reading is Craig Clevenger's extraordinary prose: the pleasure of text is everything.'

Customer Reviews

For language lovers
One of my favourite books. Beautifully written, engaging characters. Leaves a lot of interpretation to the reader, so can be read again and again. More complex than the Contortionist's handbook- be prepared to invest in this book to get something out of it.

Definitely an experience.. Def a recommendation
What so intrigued me going into this novel is the difference in the protag in regard to the Handbook's Vincent. Currently, Eric Ashworth is not so bright. in fact, through the novel, he has practically no memory. He wakes up heavily bandaged, scratching and in pain, and then things started getting bad. The prose structure is absolutely amazing -- you could tell the author put a great deal of time into it. The images, fascinating. The character confused. And when he started dissecting the roach machines, oh I about died.. This is more than mere style. this is a novel in every sense; an adventure, an experience. So seldom does an author come along that really breaks through the barriers. Clev seems to write as if he's running out of air, no rock is unturned. unless it's a pretty boring looking rock. what i mean is, he has instincts. absolutely, yes, i recommend this book. -kabol

don't buy this
I agree with Charlie. This book is terrible. I enjoyed the Contortionists Handbook and was looking forward to reading Clevenger's next book.

Sadly this really is style over substance in the worst way. Reading this book is like being forced to listen to other people's rambling descriptions of dreams they once had but now can't quite remember.

Easy to put down, frustrating, unsatisfying, indulgent nonsense. Shame on you Clevenger.