Winkie

This is a very weird book. Although a book about a teddybear that comes to life might sound like it is intended for children, this is for adults. The real theme is miscarriage of justice. What happens to an innocent person who gets caught as the main suspect in a terrorism trial? And if that person is handicapped, or different in some way?

I also read this book for a book club, and went in not expecting much. I loved Winkie's character, and thought that Chase did a pretty good job making him both lovable and exasperating. The trial parts moved a bit slow, but I loved the "witnesses" that appeared to testify against Winkie, as well as the quotes throughout the book. While I wasn't too fond of the Baby Winkie plot line, I did enjoy the way the book spoke to the nature of fear, and the way that fear can snowball over time, so that Winkie's initial accusations of terrorism turned into him being charged with all crimes, ever. Bizarre, strange, readable, and a book I know I'll turn over in my mind for the next few weeks, it made me want to both go home and hug my childhood bear show more and also watch the news more critically. show less

Part satire, part memoir, and mostly fiction, Clifford Chase’s "Winkie" is a unique story about the life of a teddy bear passed down through a mother and her children. The teddy bear, presently named Winkie, enters consciousness over the years and eventually, out of built-up internal strife and curiosity, escapes the house. He gives birth to a baby teddy bear and lives in the forest with her, eating berries and living the good life. Eventually, Winkie is captured by the SWAT team and put on trial with a long list of accusations including murder, numerous terrorist attacks, witchcraft, and corrupting the youth.

Chase creates amazing and well-written scenes; the most memorable being the court trial which is both painstaking and amusing. show more Historical figures and fictional characters, ranging from the young women from the Crucible to one of Plato’s students, stand witness against the poor teddy bear. Simultaneously, the trial has its gratifying moments, such as when his previous caretaker, the author himself, defends Winkie on the witness stand. Being a teddy bear, a practiced veteran in listening and observation, Winkie automatically soaks up the emotions of those around him; causing the novel’s ambience to fluctuate depending on if he feels he’s being supported or rejected.

If you are searching for a truly one-of-a-kind novel, "Winkie" should definitely be on your list. It is a quick, worthwhile read that embodies the notion of standing up for oneself. show less

Winkie is a teddy bear that finds himself in the wrong place at the wrong time. Taken into police custody when the cabin in the woods where he's living is raided and charged with multiple acts of terrorism. Assigned an incompetent public defender to represent him and with public opinion very much against his continued existence Winkie is left to review the events in his life that have led him to his current predicament.

What I was hoping for from this book was a light, fairly fun satirical look at the justice system when it comes to the war on terror. What I got was actually a quite sad and often absurd tale where all of society’s ills are placed firmly at the feet of someone who happens to be a little different from the norm. I think show more I would have preferred a little more meat to this story and a bit less padding out especially with the trial scenes. Not a book I have any interest in returning to which is a shame as the potential for this kind of story is huge. show less

Well...interesting concept, stuffed bear comes to life only to be charged as a terrorist. But it was too literal, too parellel to today and suffered by being too preachy. Yes, our zealous pursuit of terrorist can become an absurd witch hunt. But it just left me with an eh.

A charming queer story

Clifford Chase's fiction debut is interesting. I would want to say it's part Lewis Carroll, one third Kafka, and a little bit of Gregory Maguire, yet Chase's voice and story is wholly unique, for which of these authors have every written about a bear accused of terrorism? Yes, Chase's story is uniquely American and in step with current questions of the war on terror. And beyond this, is a subtle queer questioning of American society, as if a fictional rendering of Jasbir Puar's "Terrorist Assemblages," influenced with dashes of Foucault (and indeed, Chase does quote the French philosopher). Yes, it seems that of all things, this story about a bear falsely accused of terrorism, is more or less not just a satirical show more look at terrorism and the war against it, but a remark on how American society has treated queer people, which can be conjectured through the bear's sex changes, his lesbian best friend, and attacks upon Winkie by the religious right. Thus, the story is very queer. However, despite the many sided analysis that can come from its reading, as well as simply laugh-out-loud parts, the book is heavily weighted in philosophy and at times loses its satirical edge to be replaced with melodramatic character development written in flashbacks. My critique here is that the story loses its momentum as the author tries his best to make Winkie a three dimensioned, likeable character, which takes place for a good two third of the book—a good two thirds in flashbacks. The result, in addition to comical courtroom scene, is more or less satisfying, but one is left to feel as if his or her efforts to read it were a bit wasted. However, it's a short novel of 236 pages—with pictures!—and in this light, it's a charming story about freedom and self-making in the frame of a falsely informed society and a corrupted government, despite the at times bland and daunting flashbacks. show less

One of the strangest books I've read this year. Told from the point of view of a teddy bear who came to live. We discover how Winkie accompanied several children of the Chase family before deciding to leave. Unfortunately he then gets on the wrong side of the War on Terror and faces a whole slate of charges.

Even though the story tends to drag a bit at times, the court scenes more than make up for it. I've never seen a stranger court trial than it was described in this book :)

Rating 4.5/5