The Contortionist's Handbook

A Novel

By: Craig Clevenger

Narrated by: Ray Porter

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.

Not for Me

Any additional comments?

When the first quarter of the book was about a guy trying to beat a WAY-overcooked suicide evaluation, I started to wonder if there was actually going to be a plot. I never found out because due to the author dragging out what should have been a scene into an act, I decided this wasn't for me.

really good

I don't write good reviews but I really liked this book. of course the narrator was terrific but the book was really good too.