Looking Back - Spilling Clarence

Looking Back... In an effort to transfer my book journal entries over to this blog, I'm going to attempt to post (in chronological order) an entry every Friday. I may or may not add extra commentary to what I jotted down in these journals.

Spilling Clarence by Anne Ursu

Fiction

2002 Hyperion

Finished on January 25, 2002

Rating: 3.5/5 (Good)

Publisher's Blurb:

What if you could suddenly remember everything that ever happened in your life Would it be a blessing -- or a curse

The answer is found in Spilling Clarence, a satisfying, witty, romantic, and tender novel. In the fictional town of Clarence, Minnesota, a breakroom microwave sparks a smoky fire at the pharmaceutical factory and triggers a massive chemical spill. Panic-stricken and paralyzed, the townspeople wait until the all-clear signal to assure them everything's back to normal. Except that it isn't. Over the coming days, the citizens of Clarence fall under the spell of a strange and powerful drug that unlocks their memories. They become trapped by their own reminiscences: of love and death, of war and childhood, of family they've lost and sins they've committed.

Beautifully rendered with a light comic touch, this bittersweet first novel is about more than the sum of its beguiling parts. It's about the need to remember, and about the bliss of forgetting. A universe peopled by exquisitely drawn characters, Spilling Clarence is a funny, moving story with a truly original premise that introduces the impressive talents of an exciting new writer.

My Original Thoughts (2002):

Read most of this on my day off. The first few pages grabbed my attention as the narrative moved to a chain bookstore called Davis & Dean (remineding me of B&N and Borders). A father and daughter are enjoying their Friday afternoon ritual of visiting the bookstore when a psychopharmaceutical factory has an accident and a memory-enhancing drug is released into the air of small college town named Clarence. Bernie, a widower, teaches at the college. His nine-year-old daughter is precocious, but likeable. Somewhat predictable, but very suspenseful. A hint of Stephen King's stories. 

The voice in the first half of the book was annoying. Almost a "tell-it-like-it-is" that felt abrupt and choppy. The narrator seems to address the reader as someone describing a made-for-tv movie. But, thankfully, the second half is almost void of this "style."

My Current Thoughts:

I no longer have a copy of this debut novel, but I remember that I enjoyed it quite well.