The Contortionists Handbook

(Paperback)

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A stunningly intense debut novel about a talented young forger who continually reinvents himself to escape the authorities. 'I swear to God this is the best book I have read in easily five years. Easily. Maybe ten years.' Chuck Palahniuk, author of Fight Club Following a near fatal overdose of painkillers, Daniel Fletcher is resuscitated in a Los Angeles trauma centre and detained for psychiatric evaluation. The Evaluator must ascertain whether the patient intended to kill himself, or whether he is sane, and can walk free. What the psychiatrist doesn't know is that 'Daniel Fletcher' is actually John Dolan Vincent, a talented young forger who continually changes his identity to save himself from a lifetime of incarceration. John has done such psychiatric assessments before -- many, many times. He already knows the answers. He can make the Evaluator think whatever he wants him to think...Written in a wonderfully tight, taut, hypnotic prose, The Contortionist's Handbook is a beautifully-crafted, original literary thriller that holds your attention right until the Usual Suspects-style payoff on the very last page...

Reviews

'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 'A very impressive debut. The reader sees it from the con-artist's perspective, delivered in a snappy, first-person voice that Clevenger writes with assured flair. This is a tightly controlled piece of work with an intriguingly original approach to the genre that marks the author out as one to watch' Metro 'Clevenger has created a manic monologist whose paranoia-inducing world pulls you in completely' Seattle Times 'Clevenger's talent is revealed in his ability to create a true testament to the resilience of the human spirit' USA Today 'Immaculately detailed and emotionally explosive: this is rolling, riveting stuff' Kirkus Reviews [starred]

Author Bio

Craig Clevenger was born in Dallas, Texas and raised in southern California, where he studied English at California State University, Long Beach. He is the author of two acclaimed novels: The Contortionists Handbook and Dermaphoria. Clevenger is at work on an untitled third novel based on his short story The Fade and lives in California.