Rating: 
Summary: whoa! great first novel.
Review: Great read. Had the pleasure of doing it in 3 sessions. A well constructed and suspense-filled plot. Hangs together while challenging you to pay attention. (And yes, you have to; it's worth it!)Without giving away the plot or the ending, think "Memento" or "The Usual Suspects". No thow-away trash novel, this is a thinking person's book. It tends to stick with you after you put it down. The detail adds dimension. The main character is a trip. (note to self: never hire him as a babysitter.) Layers of stuff going on throughout. What's amazing is that this is Clevenger's first novel. Notes say he's working on second and I for one can't wait. When's the movie coming out?
Rating:
Summary: craig hits one out of the park!
Review: Having known Craig from the "prior high-tech industry life" mentioned in the jacket, I always wondered what would spring forth from his insanely creative mind if left to it's own devices- but 'The Contortionist's Handbook' far exceeds my wildest expectations. It doesn't feel like a debut novel in the least, but of a voice that's been keenly refined over years and is only just now being committed to press and shared with the world at large. A visceral tornado of a thrill-ride through the mind and machinations of it's protagonist, John Dolan Vincent, I couldn't put 'TCH' down, and in fact stayed up until the wee hours of the morning so I didn't have to. The meticulous attention to detail in this book shows clearly in every chapter, and in every page. My sincerest and loudest kudos to Craig and this novel- I can't wait to get my hands on his next novel.
Highly recommended!
Rating: 
Summary: I am the odd man out with this
Review: I bought this book to read with two of my friends, one a big Chuck Palahniuk fan. Seeing that Mr. Plalhniuk liked it, I figured it had a 50/50 chance of my liking it (like C.P.'s books)
I got maybe 40 pages into it, and i just kind of fizzed out. The writing style he uses is a poor rendition of C.P.'s, which is probably why he liked the book so much... it's his protege. But not in a good way.
I got disinterested very quickly, as i did with _Diary_ & _Invisible Monsters_. I can't get in to this book at all.
But I'd still reccomend it as a library check-out, and if he ever writes another; that's where'd i go.
Rating:
Summary: a cause for cerebration, yes cerebration.
Review: I can count the number of stars this book deserves on one hand. If I were like Clevenger's narrator I'd give it six stars. This book was so well constructed that without even realizing it I found myself taking notes throughout my reading. When the marginalia exceeded the space allotted, another notebook was brought out. It's rare when a novel engages you in such an embracive manner. Clevenger has a way with language that is not seen much in modern fiction. He combines succinct statements with sensual details so effortlessly that the reader becomes utterly immersed in the story being told. It's also evident that the man has done his research. Clevenger makes damn sure that his characters are multi-faceted and erudite. John Vincent not only makes us care about his predicament, but he also makes us willing accomplices to his endeavors. Stylistically, the techniques employed in this novel may not be original, but Clevenger's voice certainly is. His prose is extremely visual, and it's easy to see why this book has already been optioned for a movie. There are also minute details and a distinct sardonic humor woven throughout the text, making a second or third reading a must, and if possible, even more enjoyable. Johnny's argus-eyed observations and the underlying romantic theme of this story kept me enthralled throughout every reading. Clevenger is a luminary; an underground modern day noir legend in the literary world. The Contortionist Handbook is a rara avis and I look forward to seeing on what journey Dermaphoria takes us.
Rating:
Summary: A Work of Genius
Review: I don't write reviews...don't have the time. But I had to add my two-cents worth regarding Craig clevenger's "The Contortionist's Handbook." This is an amazing novel. Intelligent, humorous (in it's special way) and absolutely captivating. At times, I didn't feel so much like I was reading a novel, but rather like I was listening to a friend tell me about the crazy things that have been going on in his life. The story was amazing both from the standpoint of the creative concept and the skill with which it was structured and conveyed. I met Craig and heard him read last night in Brooklyn, and I am still in awe. I will be reading this novel repeatedly and giving it as a gift for years to come. (I just ordered three more hardcovers!) Looking forward to Dermaphoria, Craig's next novel (in progress). A fan for life.
Rating:
Summary: Unbelievable debut novel
Review: I had the opportunity to meet the author, and he is genuinely a remarkable person. This, his first novel, is an AMAZING debut--not to be missed. Psychologically stimulating and thrilling, this book follows a veritable human chameleon through drug overdoses, jail time, and, ultimately, falling in love. Impossible to put down, and a great read!
Rating:
Summary: Contorte this!
Review: I heard about this book from chuckpalahniuk.net. Then I read the first 37 pages on this website, then I just had to buy the book. I loved learning about how he gets his fake identities and how he realises he's happy(at least that's how I'm taking it) at the end.
Rating:
Summary: You will read more than once!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Review: I rarely write reviews...especially about books due to the fact that I'm very very picky about which books I read. I found that with the Contortionists Handbook I was reading slower toward the end because I didn't want to finish the book...especially without another of Clevenger's to read. I was truly astounded as to how amazing this book was. The only reason I wrote this review is to tell you not to take the advice of any negative reviews...this WILL be one the best books you will EVER read.
Rating:
Summary: You will read more than once!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Review: I rarely write reviews...especially about books due to the fact that I'm very very picky about which books I read. I found that with the Contortionists Handbook I was reading slower toward the end because I didn't want to finish the book...especially without another of Clevenger's to read. I was truly astounded as to how amazing this book was. The only reason I wrote this review is to tell you not to take the advice of any negative reviews...this WILL be one the best books you will EVER read.
Rating: 
Summary: Chuck it
Review: I was given this book as a gift since Fight Club, both the movie and the book, were biblical to me for a long time. The author is supposedly Chuck Palahniuk's protégée and it's obvious as soon as you start reading that Chuck's style has been replicated almost exactly.
Palahniuk, who borrowed his style from writer Amy Hempel, laces his stories with a number of random facts and insights like the ones your high school teachers used to tell you in class in an attempt to spice up the lessons and get you interested in learning, Clevenger imitates Palahniuk's same style of writing: first person, natural-speech style, fragmented sentences with transitions throughout the story, a kind of ping-pong back-and-forth throughout the entire story until the final unveiling, the big shocker that you weren't supposed to have foreseen because it's so twisted.
I give Clevenger credit for adding more depth to his characters, unlike Palahniuk's that can seem 2-Dimensional. The Contortionist is supposed to be this troubled soul who is actually a child mathematical prodigy but because of a bad childhood, an inability to express himself before educators and authority figures who ask him to explain his seeming ineptitude with tests and questionnaires, and cyclical stints in mental hospitals for attempted suicide as a result of unintended overdoses to cure painful migraines that have no source and no cure, ends up in special ed and a string of juvenile facilities. With a drunken dad and a mom battling cancer, his parents have given up on him and he realizes the only way to escape his past and possible institutionalism is to create new identities.
This book would have done a lot better had the style been more original. Clevenger veers into his own form of writing at points, sticking with the plot and points and goes deeper into character analysis which makes the story a lot more enjoyable. But just as you think Clevenger is finding his own style somewhere around page 60, I think he went back to his Palahniuk writing manual and returned to that Reading-Rainbow-random-fact-spewing-but-more-twisted narrative that sounds almost borderline schizophrenic.
So, if you're a diehard CP fan, then you'd definitely like this one. If you've never read CP, then this book won't actually be so bad. It will actually seem original to you versus another "copy of a copy of a copy." If you're like me and fell a little out of love with CP somewhere around Invisible Monsters and Choke, wait another couple years till you can't remember what his writing style is like to buy this. Clevenger would have done best had he contorted into his own voice when he wrote this.
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