The Contortionist's Handbook

A Novel

By: Craig Clevenger

Narrated by: Ray Porter

Length: 6 hrs and 40 mins

Publisher's summary

John Dolan Vincent was born with an extra ring finger on one hand. He was an abnormally gifted child with a proclivity for mathematics beyond his years, but he lacked social skills. Childhood ridicule and a difficult family life led him to use his talents in adulthood for criminal acts of forgery. When he starts getting untreatable migraines, his self-medication results in overdosing which sends him repeatedly to the emergency room. There, he risks being institutionalized as suicidal, so he draws upon his forgery skills to reinvent a new identity for himself each time. Identity theft, drugs, and crime drag his life into a downward spiral. His clients in the L.A. underworld lose patience, the hospital evaluator might not be fooled by his story, and the only person in as much danger as himself is the woman who knows his real name.

©2009 Craig Clevenger (P)2009 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

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. The movie is in production with Das Films for release in 2011.
"Clevenger cleverly creates a modern-day Mr. Ripley." - ( Booklist)
"[A] remarkable debut." ( Time Out New York)

Came highly recommended and did not disappoint

I've been reading a lot of chuck Palahniuk and Brett Easton Ellis over the past year, I know sometimes we just have those years. If you're looking for another book in the category of bitingly sarcastic morally ambiguous narrator tackles an uncaring cold world, then this book will be dead on for you. In fact, this has to be up there for the best book I've ever read in that category.

It's really then a question of what you're looking for. Slight spoilers, but when half of your book is a character taking, then reacting internally to a psychological evaluation, you're going to weed out a large portion of readers. But if you think that sounds interesting, then you won't see it better executed anywhere.

Good pace and prose but a bit of a let down

I was very excited when downloading this as it had come very highly reccomended by Chuck Palahniuk and others and there is a strong flavour of Fight Club to storyline. It is a very gripping book that has a great sense of slickness and pace but the last 20 pages left me feeling a bit short changed. Worth a listen though, you may feel differently.

The best author you never listened to!

The storyline is captivating from the beginning. A twisted but likable antihero.... an all to realistic tale of life for the mentally ill and addicted.

Good read for palahniuk fans

Surprised me. I love the story. Pacing and chapter length are good if your attention span is lacking like mine. I enjoyed the narrators voice quite a bit. Perfect for the role. Fan of Palahniuk and reminded me of themes and organization of invisible monsters. Google agrees too. Apparently Palahniuk loves this book.

OUTSTANDING

Excellent across the board. The writing was clear and sharp, the story was straight forward and consistent and the narrator just made it all come alive. I find myself wondering about the characters during my day.

What a Ride!

Smart, artfully written and very well read, this story is a gritty, fast paced ride through a man’s desperate and tangled life. Somehow, despite his character flaws and the dark places he winds up in, he remains a character to root for. Truly a victim of circumstances, he uses his remarkable mind in an intrinsically calculated effort to keep ahead of and avoid dire quagmires.

Perfect

This is the perfect book. Similar in flow to early Palaniuk with a very unique voice.

Excellent narration!

The book was good, but the narration was excellent! A fantastic performance by Ray Porter.

Intense!

Absolutely loved it! This book was super intense... definitely reminded me of Chuck Palahniuk. Worth the read, and will probably read again!

Wow

A perfect account of the state of mental health in our nation. Great book highly recommend