An Arsonist's Guide to Writers' Homes in New England
Brock Clarke
An Arsonist's Guide to Writers' Homes in New England
Sam Pulsifer, the hapless hero of this incendiary novel, has come to the end of a very long and unusual journey. The truth is, a lot of remarkable things have happened in Sam's life. He spent ten years in prison for accidentally burning down poet Emily Dickinson's house - and unwittingly killing two people in the process. He emerged aged twenty-eight and set about creating a new life for himself. He went to college, found love, got married, fathered two children, and made a new start - and then watched in almost-silent awe as the vengeful past caught up with him, right at his own front door. As, one by one, the homes of other famous New England writers are torched, Sam knows that this time he is most certainly not guilty. To prove his innocence, he sets out to uncover the identity of this literary-minded arsonist. What he discovers, and how he deals with the reality of his discoveries, is both hilariously funny and heartbreakingly sad. For, as Sam learns, the truth has a way of eluding capture, and then, when you finally get close enough to embrace it, it turns and kicks you in the ass.
3.8 out of 5 based on 3 reviews
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Omniscore:
|
| Classification |
Fiction |
| Genre |
General Fiction |
| Format |
Paperback |
| Pages |
320 |
| RRP |
£12.99 |
| Date of Publication |
May 2008 |
| ISBN |
978-0434018413 |
| Publisher |
William Heinemann |
| |
Sam Pulsifer, the hapless hero of this incendiary novel, has come to the end of a very long and unusual journey. The truth is, a lot of remarkable things have happened in Sam's life. He spent ten years in prison for accidentally burning down poet Emily Dickinson's house - and unwittingly killing two people in the process. He emerged aged twenty-eight and set about creating a new life for himself. He went to college, found love, got married, fathered two children, and made a new start - and then watched in almost-silent awe as the vengeful past caught up with him, right at his own front door. As, one by one, the homes of other famous New England writers are torched, Sam knows that this time he is most certainly not guilty. To prove his innocence, he sets out to uncover the identity of this literary-minded arsonist. What he discovers, and how he deals with the reality of his discoveries, is both hilariously funny and heartbreakingly sad. For, as Sam learns, the truth has a way of eluding capture, and then, when you finally get close enough to embrace it, it turns and kicks you in the ass.
Reviews
The Independent on Sunday
Mark Sellek
“If verging on the fantastical at times... Clarke manages, with considerable dexterity and flourish, to pull out of the fire a series of absurdist scenarios and radically screwball characters that never stretch credulity. This is partly because the high drama is mixed with some delightfully plaintive meditations on family life, and partly because Clarke lands precise blows on some legitimate targets: most notably the literary establishment and the memoir genre... If the stream-of-consciousness, reflexive analysis of Pulsifer begins to pall a little now and then, the book never gives up on one of its most attractive virtues, the quality that makes it at times, unbelievably funny: that Sam Pulsifer may well be a "bumbler" but he is also inhumanly pre-disposed to attract, seek and absorb all manner of adversity. Undoubtedly the most selfless, unluckiest arsonist you'll ever come across.”
24/04/2009
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The Washington Post
Ron Charles
“This straight-faced, postmodern comedy scorches all things literary... There are no survivors here... they're all singed under Clarke's crisp wit... An Arsonist's Guide suggests that Clarke is a dangerous man... Don't shelve his book with other novels. Keep it away from fumes of pretension. The whole thing is written in an innocent, deadpan voice, packed full of Sam's bittersweet observations and fuelled by Clarke's satire. Yes, there are slow moments, too many rhetorical questions about what's happening, and far too many Nuggets of Wisdom... Sam's muted despair is heartbreaking, but too often this pose of wise naïf sounds forced and self-conscious: Holden Caulfield with a match. And despite the usual liveliness of Clarke's humour, some of his satire is stale... But none of these flaws can extinguish the book's brilliance.”
02/09/2007
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The New York Times
Janet Maslin
““An Arsonist’s Guide to Writers’ Homes in New England” is as cheerfully oddball as its title... Although it is [Clarke's] fourth book, it feels like the bright debut of an ingeniously arch humorist, one whose hallmark is a calm approach to insanely improbable behavior... Soon Mr. Clarke has indulged his slightly condescending screwball tendencies to the point where this comic novel is in overdrive... Eventually overplotted to the point of overkill, “An Arsonist’s Guide to Writers’ Homes in New England” (Miriam Levine’s real guidebook has the same title, absent the arson) still manages to remain sharp-edged and unpredictable, punctuated by moments of choice absurdist humor.”
10/09/2007
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