Contortionist's Handbook Question (Warning: Possible Spoilers!)
Found out about the book on this site, went to B&N and bought it, read it in two days. Couldn't put it down. Practically free-based it. Ordered [I]Dermaphoria[/I] the next day.
So first off, if you haven't read this book yet, go fix that.
That said, I did have one slight qualm about it, and I'm wondering if anyone else thought the same thing...
Did it seem to end a bit too abruptly?
I mean, I was absolutely hooked for the entire 200 pages, right up to the end... and I love the way it all finally plays out -- the twist is perfect.
But even though it works, all the pieces fit together and everything... I was left with the feeling that he got a little lazy at the end and wrapped everything up in too big of a hurry. Not sure exactly how to explain it... it was just a sense that he might have drawn the climax out a little more.
At the same time, I don't have a suggestion of how he could have done it any better... maybe it was precisely what was called for given the pace and structure of the book. I dunno.
Any thoughts from those who have read it? Do you agree/disagree?
[QUOTE=corellion;989731]I often feel the ending of a book is too abrupt when I've been really enjoying the book. The Beach felt that way to me. Maybe it's due to a blurred line between the final Climax and the denoument. Reading over the books again, and reading slower to enjoy the taste of it, as opposed to wolfing it down, the endings usually seem more calm and suited. Dermaphoria is great, you'll enjoy it. It's full of gorgeous lines. This forum is swelling with Clevenger fans, you might want to check out stuff from the other Velvet authors too, they're all well worth the read. Not to mention Stephen Graham Jones has loads of short stories on the net, and I've yet to read one of his shorts I didn't like. Will Christopher Baer has some shorts on his site too. Sometimes Rachel and Blood Porn. Fucking great stories that'll have you crying at the same time as trying to make your hard-on less conspicious underneath your jeans and boxers.[/QUOTE]
I understand what you mean... the whole book kind of felt like one long climax in a way, and when it ended I definitely wanted more, which isn't necessarily a bad thing... I just love his writing.
About SGJ, that's actually how I found this site... I was on his blog, then clicked the link to his Cult interview, then found my way to the forum. You're right, he's an amazing author.
Hmmm... for as many Clevinger fans as I've seen posting around here, this thread hasn't sparked as much interest as I thought it would.
[QUOTE=Benny P.;990195]Hmmm... for as many Clevinger fans as I've seen posting around here, this thread hasn't sparked as much interest as I thought it would.[/QUOTE]
Please don't take this the wrong way - but some of us here have talked this one to death...
There are already tons of topics on it.
But to answer your question - I thought it ended perfectly. It sped up towards the end which seemed to make the end come that much faster. But I really though there wouldn't be a better way for the book to end.
I definately don't think he was cheating or slacking off.
[QUOTE=PGoutis01;991374]Please don't take this the wrong way - but some of us here have talked this one to death...
There are already tons of topics on it.
But to answer your question - I thought it ended perfectly. It sped up towards the end which seemed to make the end come that much faster. But I really though there wouldn't be a better way for the book to end.
I definately don't think he was cheating or slacking off.[/QUOTE]
I see what you mean... I think I'm hamstringing myself with the conventional definition of a "novel," where the conclusion is drawn out for a while. At 200 pages, it's on the short side for a novel... felt more like a novella to me -- episodic, in a way.
The quick wrapup at the end with the psychologist made it feel kind of like... I dunno... like watching a two-hour season finale of the Sopranos, where a lot happens plot-wise and a lot of backstory is told, but then it ends abruptly because it's time to go to commercial and they want you to tune in next season to find out what happens next. (Note: I'm not referring to something like the cut-to-black series finale that pissed off so many fans.)
I know he's definitely not a conventional author in certain respects, so maybe I should look at his work from a different angle.
[QUOTE=PGoutis01;991374]Please don't take this the wrong way - but some of us here have talked this one to death...
There are already tons of topics on it.[/QUOTE]
Yeah, I realize I'm a little late to the party. 
[QUOTE=Benny P.;991451]I think I'm hamstringing myself with the conventional definition of a "novel," where the conclusion is drawn out for a while. At 200 pages, it's on the short side for a novel... felt more like a novella to me -- episodic, in a way.[/QUOTE]Eh, not so much, really. This book is formatted differently, with a lot more words per page than average. I dunno exactly, but if I had to guess, probably 65,000+ words, well in league with the other books we discuss around here. Fight Club has a similar page count, but is under 50,000 and definitely on the short side.
I won't argue that Contortionist's reads quick, though. Unless you count all the times I went back over paragraphs because they were just so badass.
[QUOTE=furleyguy;991473]Eh, not so much, really. This book is formatted differently, with a lot more words per page than average. I dunno exactly, but if I had to guess, probably 65,000+ words, well in league with the other books we discuss around here. Fight Club has a similar page count, but is under 50,000 and definitely on the short side.
I won't argue that Contortionist's reads quick, though. Unless you count all the times I went back over paragraphs because they were just so badass.[/QUOTE]
Yeah... didn't mean to say I thought it was a novella, just that it felt like one. Went by in a hurry. It's on the short end of the novel range.
Didn't know Fight Club was under 50,000. Interesting.
A book I definitely thought would have been more accurately labeled a novella was Garland's [I]The Coma[/I]. Flew through it less than two hours. I doubt it even breaks 30k. Cool book, though... thought provoking. But I think the publisher pulled a fast one by putting a picture and a page of white space at the beginning of each chapter, then selling it for the normal trade paperback price.
Who is this Clevenger guy? Do you think I should read him?
VP - Workshop Dog
[QUOTE=vigorous puppy;991533]Who is this Clevenger guy? Do you think I should read him?[/QUOTE]
BLOG | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | TRANSUBSTANTIATE BLOG | TRANSUBSTANTIATE FACEBOOK
I felt merged with the book's ambience of loss and incompleteness upon first finishing it. It isn't that the Handbook is incomplete, so much as it reflects the incompleteness within ourselves. And yet it engages and tantalizes the mind, this puzzle matrix of lost and manufactured identity that goes hand-in-hand with the narrator's anomie, his rootless existence.
It takes a hell of a lot of work to craft a 65-70,000 word book that you can read pleasurably in one or two sittings. And it's a special treat when that book is so good that you might have the desire immediately to turn to the first page and begin again.
VP - Workshop Dog
[QUOTE=vigorous puppy;991566]I felt merged with the book's ambience of loss and incompleteness upon first finishing it. It isn't that the Handbook is incomplete, so much as it reflects the incompleteness within ourselves. And yet it engages and tantalizes the mind, this puzzle matrix of lost and manufactured identity that goes hand-in-hand with the narrator's anomie, his rootless existence.
It takes a hell of a lot of work to craft a 65-70,000 word book that you can read pleasurably in one or two sittings. And it's a special treat when that book is so good that you might have the desire immediately to turn to the first page and begin again.[/QUOTE]
Well said.
I often feel the ending of a book is too abrupt when I've been really enjoying the book. The Beach felt that way to me. Maybe it's due to a blurred line between the final Climax and the denoument. Reading over the books again, and reading slower to enjoy the taste of it, as opposed to wolfing it down, the endings usually seem more calm and suited. Dermaphoria is great, you'll enjoy it. It's full of gorgeous lines. This forum is swelling with Clevenger fans, you might want to check out stuff from the other Velvet authors too, they're all well worth the read. Not to mention Stephen Graham Jones has loads of short stories on the net, and I've yet to read one of his shorts I didn't like. Will Christopher Baer has some shorts on his site too. Sometimes Rachel and Blood Porn. Fucking great stories that'll have you crying at the same time as trying to make your hard-on less conspicious underneath your jeans and boxers.