Contortionist's handbook thread
I just finished reading the Contortionist's Handbook and I have to say its one of the best books I've ever read. Usually I hate books with extensive imagery, but Clevenger manages to weave it so beautifully into the plot, and you can see how it shows how smart and precise the narrator is.
The ending was beautiful but abrupt, Clevenger should have shown what Keara's(Molly) letter said.
What do you guys think?
P.S. The movie is coming out next year, and its being produced by the same guy that made Repo Men, that was in theaters a while ago.
http://radscavenger.tumblr.com/
check out my blog
i liked it, but i like dermaphoria more.
particularly because of a line that i can't remember right now and i don't have the book in front of me, but it made such an image, fluorescent cockroaches dancing in the dark. hope i got that right, but i'll post the quote if i see it.
Was it the quote about the devil just being an angel who wanted more?
no, that was in chapter ten of derm--some of the best writing ive read in a while, that chapter.
as for this movie coming out next year... dont hold your breath. i know craig is in bolivia at the moment, but i dont think even he knows of that rumor.
wish, though 
__________________________________
play hard, like it's work to be done.
as for tch:
the book has been out of print for a minute now, but word filtered through the velvet just last week [from an affiliate of the cage] that the galleries for the new issue have been put to press. so, it will definitely see print again soon. i'm excited.. there's nothing like telling a friend to check it out and that friend cant order it through their retailer.
__________________________________
play hard, like it's work to be done.
I have yet to read this book. I recently finished Dermaphoria and I absolutely loved it! I'm waiting for TCH to come back in print and then I'll grab it as fast as I can!
"Someone must have slandered Josef K., for one morning, without having done anything truly wrong, he was arrested."
"Jemand musste Josef K. verleumdet haben, denn ohne dass er etwas Böses getan hätte, wurde er eines Morgens verhaftet"
i'm sure you'd be able to get a secondand copy, in good condition from www.abe.com
maybe not. here's the link: http://www.abebooks.com/servlet/SearchResults?fromanz=fromanz&sortby=17&...
but they're pretty pricey, i guess because they're Out of Print. but, heck, they'll be printing more soon, i'd imagine.
Not reading through the thread because I am just into the book and don't want spoilers. Not far enough yet to comment really on the story or characters, but I gotta say I am digging just the way Craig writes. Punchy and smooth; the way he puts words together really feels good to me. Can't explain further really. Just yeah. I'm certain to get the next one as soon as I'm done with this. Haven't liked an author's writing this much on a while.
This is why we can't have nice things.
yeah. he has an incredible way with words. but, man, he laboured over thelanguae in contortionist's. i'm sure i read some where that one of his edits was to omit any use of words like 'porobably', 'maybe', 'approximately' etc., because John would never use words like that due to him being certain of everything. nutty, but in a good way. that's commitment.
the opening couple of paragraphs are amazing. i was so into the way he opens by recounting his last five O.D's.
I fucking love this book, but i love Derma more, i think.
I feel like I just jumped into a forum time machine set for six years ago. So cool to see people (re-)discovering this.
Yep, that's Craig. Maybe it's because I learned so many of these editorial habits from him, but to me, this just seems like normal editing now. Very, very tight prose. He's ruined me for reading most novelists so full of fluff.
Wasn't it six? He said he could count them all on one hand...
ahh, yes. of course. my bad. i feel so silly now!
and, i agree with you, man. this tight prose style, where everything matters and the most petite detail is just as important as say, the reveal, well, i love it. it's admirable and i hope one day i can be that tight.
shit-hot badass writing.
I feel like I'm the only one that didn't care for Dermaphoria that much. I mean it was a good book. But to me Contortionist Handbook was just amazing. I've read it quite a few times. Maybe I need to reread Dermaphoria...
I tried finishing it twice Pete. I couldn't stick with it.
i can't believe this is happening. TCH is brillaince in its purest form. and then, Clevenger went and stepped it up a notch, just like i imagine he will do once for when Saint Heretic comes out.
Dermaphoria?
edit - That was directed at Mike. (Damn you Matt for posting while I'm typing.)
Yes Dermaphoria. CHB was excellent.
Agreed!
pfft. that is all. oh, no, wait... pfft.
To me, Contortionist's has more interesting concepts, more clever, and probably a better introduction to his work (more Chuck-like, too). With Derma, he stepped up his prose and descriptions several notches, but it was maybe less accessible. So hopefully the third book will fuse those and take things to yet another level, maybe escalating the storytelling or plot construction this time. The few in-progress chapters I've read were excellent.
Hands down one of my favourite books ever. And one of maybe three books I've ever read twice. I liked Dermaphoria but its mention makes we want to re-read it too now but...I've just checked my bookcase and it isn't there! Curses!
i don't really think it's necessary to know exactly what Molly had to say. she made the effort to communicate with him which showed her love. that's what was most important to me. Clevenger took it just far enough and left the reader hanging in a good way. the ending caught my breath and left me asking, "you mean that's all?!?!" perfect.
other than that, i absolutely loved the way C wrote about "mental health professionals" through Johnny. i wish i could think of more to say about it than just this gushing...
i don't say this very often because there are so many books i haven't read and want to read and should read, but i might even reread it.
I feel the same way. I get weird about rereading books because there are so many great books out there I still need to get to. But there are a few that do deserve to be reread. This is one of them. I've read it 3 times now I think. It's been a while since the last time. Maybe it's time for another go?
I would like to reread Dermaphoria since there's quite a few people around here who like it better. At the time I read it, I wasn't sure if I even liked it. Maybe I'm ready to give that another read too.
Dermaphoria NOW, pete!
gosh, i loved TCH but Derma blew me away. still can't wait for SH
dermaphoria should be used as a text book on how to write a novel
www.triplebeard.com
http://darkroomreview.blogspot.com
“...There are so many ways of being despicable it quite makes one's head spin. But the way to be really despicable is to be contemptuous of other people's pain. You ought to have some apprehension that the man you see before you was once even younger than you are now and arrived at his present wretchedness by imperceptible degrees.”
-James Baldwin
Alright guys, I think I'll RE-read that after I finish Imperial Bedrooms.
I'll give it another shot!
remember the part where johnny remarked about watch keara get ready and he says she doesn't even notice him because it's like he's part of her normal? that was so nice i think i cried. normal. ha!
i went the next day and picked up Dermophoria bc i was having withdraw. read the first page and put it down bc i started to feel guilty. i was supposed to read Requiem for a Dream and had already two whole other books before even getting halfway through Req! so i still have Derma. i will be halfway through Req today, and then i will work on Derma.
i loved that Clevenger had Johnny in SpEd and boy school... there' s so much to love.
We had a Book Club discussion for this in '03. Even before my time I believe!
Nobody checks the "Official Book club Forum" above. lol
Continue the talks in the thread you just created though rad, because nobody will check it if you post it in the other place.
Just check this thread to spark more ideas:
http://chuckpalahniuk.net/forum/1000181/july-03-the-contortionists-handb...