Review from a Transgressive Fiction Fan
an excellent read. the contortionist’s handbook was about John Dolan Vincent; a drug addict, a mathematical genius, a man in love, and an unbelievably gifted forger who creates new identites for himself to avoid getting incarcerated. many reviewers have compared craig clevenger’s writing style to chuck palahniuk’s; i didn’t really see it. i mean, sure, it’s just as edgy, stylized, and twisted as palahniuk’s library, but i must say …clevenger’s writing techniques were like a breath of fresh air for me. from the descriptions of his gruesome OD’s to his affair with the love of his life, his display of words and detailed descriptions were inventive and compelling, metaphorically, which actually came off rather poetic at many moments. in fact, i’m very much looking forward to a second read, particularly for those very details and favored moments, but that won’t be for a long while.
“Insightful” Review from a Mainstream Reader
Lost interest a little more than half way through. I kept hoping it would get better so I kept reading until finally it became a chore and I couldn’t bring myself to finish it. But,I do have to say that I did learn a lot about forgery from this book.