In this dark satire on literary fiction, Sam Pulsifer is man who, at the age of 18, accidentally burns down the home of Emily Dickinson, in the process killing a couple who were making love in her bed. After serving ten years, he returns home where his parents show him all the letters -fan mail - from people who want him burn down other famous literary homes, such as those of Mark Twain and Nathaniel Hawthorne. Ten years after that, now living with his wife and two children, Sam’s past begins to catch up with him, when the son of the couple killed shows up wanting something, but Sam is unsure what. And then, someone begins burning the homes of other famous writers.
Clarke lampoons literature, taking on women's book clubs, literary critics, Harry Potter fans, bookstores, English professors, memoir writers and librarians. It’s a delightfully funny, often dark in tone, but never really mean. Sam Pulsifer is a sad sack, who through no fault of his own, discovers just what happens when your life spins out of control.
The real mystery for Sam, beyond clearing his name, is what happened to his parents during the last 30 years of their lives.
A brilliant novel.
Clarke lampoons literature, taking on women's book clubs, literary critics, Harry Potter fans, bookstores, English professors, memoir writers and librarians. It’s a delightfully funny, often dark in tone, but never really mean. Sam Pulsifer is a sad sack, who through no fault of his own, discovers just what happens when your life spins out of control.
The real mystery for Sam, beyond clearing his name, is what happened to his parents during the last 30 years of their lives.
A brilliant novel.
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