The Contortionist's Handbook

I think I struggled finishing this only because I found I was lacking any energy to read anything. Overall, it was a quick read, but with a fascinating tale. Loved the ending. ( )

I really liked this one, just a random pick because of the cover, and then Chuck Palahowthehelldoyoupronouncethatanywayniuk's blurb didn't hurt either. The main character is a forger, one o the best, but like a dealer who gets too fond of his own product...well, as he says, sometimes he's really smart and sometimes he's too smart...incredible play with/on the psychologist, definitely left me wanting more... ( )

Good enough for the first half but then it becomes sort of monotonous plot wise. ( )

First, let me state that I am now and probably always will be a fan of Chuck Palahniuk. My advice to like-minded readers is to read this book. I find many parts of Clevenger’s novel to be reminiscent of Palahniuk’s 1999 novel Invisible Monsters.
Now, let me say, I’m not a huge fan of this book, even if I didn’t particularly dislike reading it. At only 199 pages, it’s a quick read and a good space filler between longer novels. That being said, it doesn’t have the main quality I attribute to really good works: the want to read it again.
I did enjoy the prose, written in such a way that it’s readable yet still challenging. I was amazed at the authors knowledge and imagination regarding the inner workings of a person such as the protagonist as well as the psychiatric system. This is definitely a great idea for a book but maybe could have been executed a little better.
One of my main problems with this book is I find it hard to root for the main character, or any of his alternate identities. This book centers around a master forger/impostor who changes his identity to avoid being placed in a mental hospital or facing criminal charges. To me, just as a gut reaction, he’s just a guy whose only skill, other than his exceptional genius, is running away. I know there’s more depth than that but that’s the first impression the book presents, to me at least. If the point of this book is to show the futility of a fresh start of a new identity, job well done. Every time the protagonist gets another chance, he just continues to make the same mistakes he made in his previous “lives”. As smart as he is he never seems to learn the important parts of life.
The main driving force that kept me reading was the hope that eventually all his lies and deception would catch up to him in the end.
Maybe the whole point of the book is just to make us question what is important in life. Maybe the point is to show us that no matter how hard we try we can never run away from our pasts. Or maybe there is no point and it’s just an exercise in writing.
Either way, I give it three and a half stars; still good and worth reading but frustrating and in the end I felt unfulfilled.

(For more reviews like this by me, check out my blog at http://calculatedmiscellany.wordpress.com/) ( )

An odd book, but interesting. The story is told by the main character, an escape artist, but not in the regular meaning. Instead, he escapes into other identities, chameleon-like, with an unmatched skill. His story unfolds during a psychiatric evaluation following a drug overdose. It reminding me strongly of the movie "The Usual Suspects." If you're familiar with that movie and enjoyed it, I believe you'll enjoy this book. ( )