• .

  • 

  • Completely fascinating. Life in a small town takes turns in every direction when the Psychopharmaceutical Factory catches fire, releasing a drug into the air. All over Clarence, people are remembering. And the road isn't easy for any of them.

    

    Is this helpful?

• ― Jaemi K said on May 2, 2007 | Add your feedback

What if you could suddenly remember everything that ever happened in your life? Would it be a blessing -- or a curse?

The answer is found in Spilling Clarence, a satisfying, witty, romantic, and tender novel. In the fictional town of Clarence, Minnesota, a breakroom microwave sparks a smoky fire at the pharmaceutical factory and triggers a massive chemical spill. Panic-stricken and paralyzed, the townspeople wait until the all-clear signal to assure them everything's back to normal. Except that it isn't. Over the coming days, the citizens of Clarence fall under the spell of a strange and powerful drug that unlocks their memories. They become trapped by their own reminiscences: of love and death, of war and childhood, of family they've lost and sins they've committed.

Beautifully rendered with a light comic touch, this bittersweet first novel is about more than the sum of its beguiling parts. It's about the need to remember, and about the bliss of forgetting. A universe peopled by exquisitely drawn characters, Spilling Clarence is a funny, moving story with a truly original premise that introduces the impressive talents of an exciting new writer.

• Chemical AccidentsMemoryAdult Fiction