Vernon Downs

by Jaime Clarke

Overview

Charlie Martens is desperate for stability in an otherwise peripatetic life. An explosion that killed his parents when he was young robbed him of normalcy and he was shuttled from relative to relative, left alone to decipher the world he encountered in order to cobble together an answer as to how he would live. Ever the outcast, Charlie recognizes in Olivia, an international student from London, the sense of otherness he feels and their relationship seems to promise salvation. But when Olivia abandons him, his desperate mind fixates on her favorite writer, Vernon Downs, who becomes an emblem for reunion with Olivia. Charlie's quest takes him from Phoenix to New York City and when chance brings him into proximity to Vernon Downs, he quickly ingratiates himself into Downs's world. Proximity invites certain temptations, though, and it isn't long before Charlie moves dangerously from fandom to apprentice to outright possession.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781448214204
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Publishing
Publication date:	04/15/2014
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	194
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Jaime Clarke is a graduate of the University of Arizona and holds an MFA from Bennington College. He is the author of the previous novel We're So Famous; editor of the anthologies Don't You Forget About Me: Contemporary Writers on the Films of John Hughes, Conversations with Jonathan Lethem, and Talk Show: On the Couch with Contemporary Writers; and co-editor of the anthologies No Near Exit: Writers Select Their Favorite Work from “Post Road” Magazine (with Mary Cotton) and Boston Noir 2: The Classics (with Dennis Lehane and Mary Cotton). He is a founding editor of the literary magazine Post Road, now published at Boston College, and co-owner, with his wife, of Newtonville Books, an independent bookstore in Boston.
Jaime Clarke is a graduate of the University of Arizona and holds an MFA from Bennington College. He is the author of the novels We're So Famous, Vernon Downs and World Gone Water; the editor of the anthologies Don't You Forget About Me: Contemporary Writers on the Films of John Hughes, Conversations with Jonathan Lethem, and Talk Show: On the Couch with Contemporary Writers; and co-editor of the anthologies No Near Exit: Writers Select Their Favorite Work from “Post Road” Magazine (with Mary Cotton) and Boston Noir 2: The Classics (with Dennis Lehane and Mary Cotton). He is a founding editor of the literary magazine Post Road, now published at Boston College, and co-owner, with his wife, of Newtonville Books, an independent bookstore in Boston.

Editorial Reviews

01/27/2014
A disturbed young man hatches an unusual plan to win back his ex-girlfriend, in Clarke’s sophomore novel (after 2001’s We’re So Famous). After Charlie and Olivia, who are both creative writing majors at Glendale Community College, Calif., break up, a despondent Charlie decides to impress Olivia by attracting the attention of her favorite writer, Vernon Downs. He travels to New York City and, through a combination of luck and audacity, quickly worms his way into Vernon’s inner circle. An itinerant childhood left Charlie with a weak sense of self, and the longer that he stays in Vernon’s orbit, the more he seems to confuse his identity with the famous author’s. The novel works well when humorously skewering the 1990s literary scene, with Vernon reminiscent of Bret Easton Ellis. Vernon’s monstrous narcissism, coupled with Charlie’s vacuity, make for chilling scenes of manipulation and sycophantism. However, key plot points, such as Charlie’s bluffing his way through a writing workshop, seem hurried and contrived. His near-pathological ability to shed his surroundings and start over, meanwhile, defuses the effectiveness of the book’s most potentially suspenseful binds. Although Clarke’s novel manages to be satirical, chilling, and tense, the different elements don’t meld in the end. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly

A gripping, hypnotically written and unnerving look at the dark side of literary adulation. Jaime Clarke's novel is a cautionary tale for writers and readers alike - after finishing it, you may start to think that J.D. Salinger had the right idea after all.” —Tom Perotta, Author of Election, Little Children and The Leftovers

“Moving and edgy in just the right way. Love (or lack of) and Family (or lack of) is at the heart of this wonderfully obsessive novel.” —Gary Shteyngart, author of Super Sad True Love Story

“Vernon Downs is a fascinating and sly tribute to a certain fascinating and sly writer, but this novel also perfectly captures the lonely distortions of a true obsession.” —Dana Spiotta, author of Stone Arabia

“What makes Clarke's excellent novel stand out isn't just its rueful intelligence, but its startling sadness. Vernon Downs is first rate.” —Matthew Specktor, author of American Dream Machine

From the Publisher

What makes Clarke's excellent novel stand out isn't just its rueful intelligence, but its startling sadness. Vernon Downs is first rate.

author of American Dream Machine Matthew Specktor

Vernon Downs is a fascinating and sly tribute to a certain fascinating and sly writer, but this novel also perfectly captures the lonely distortions of a true obsession.

author of Stone Arabia Dana Spiotta

Moving and edgy in just the right way. Love (or lack of) and Family (or lack of) is at the heart of this wonderfully obsessive novel.

author of Super Sad True Love Story Gary Shteyngart

A gripping, hypnotically written and unnerving look at the dark side of literary adulation. Jaime Clarke's novel is a cautionary tale for writers and readers alike - after finishing it, you may start to think that J.D. Salinger had the right idea after all.

Tom Perotta