Contortionist's Handbook
Craig Clevenger
Narrated By: Ray Porter
Duration: 6 hours and 40 minutes
What to expect
Clevenger has produced an utterly persuasive and compelling novel, combining the zest and enthusiasm of a new voice with the craft and the guile of a veteran.
Following a near fatal overdose of painkillers, Daniel Fletcher is resuscitated in a Los Angeles emergency room and detained for psychiatric evaluation. Through a series of questions and tests, the psychiatrist must ascertain whether the patient intended to kill himself or whether he can walk free. What the psychiatrist doesn't know is that Daniel Fletcher is actually John "Johnny" Dolan Vincent, a brilliant young forger who continually changes his identity to save himself from a lifetime of incarceration. Johnny has done such assessments before—many, many times. As he creates an elaborate bluff for the evaluator, Johnny reveals the true story of his traumatic past: a broken family, descent into the sinister world of forgers and criminals, and his one chance of salvation in the beautiful and elusive Molly. But time is running out; as his underworld clients lose patience and the psychiatrist's net closes around him, Johnny has to negotiate the escape act of his life.
Evoking the boulevards and strip bars of 1980s Los Angeles with cinematic intensity, The Contortionist's Handbook is a darkly hypnotic and stunningly original debut.
Genre
Narrative theme: Interior life
Listen to a sample
“A remarkable debut.”
“Clevenger’s talent is revealed in his ability to create a true testament to the resilience of the human spirit.”
“Clevenger delivers images that sear themselves into your mind. The result is a novel that is hard, pure, remarkably accomplished.”
Guys like John Vincent Dolan don’t come around often…Vincent’s unique talents and run from authority is truly captivating, and when things start getting more rumpled, we find ourselves saluting John right to the very end.”
“Immaculately detailed and emotionally explosive: this is rolling, riveting stuff, of a piece with stylish, edgy movies like Memento and Requiem for a Dream.”
“Clevenger cleverly creates a modern-day Mr. Ripley.”