num_pages: 280
description: What if you could suddenly remember everything that ever happened in your life Would it be a blessing -- or a curseThe 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.
language: English
title: Spilling Clarence
titlecomplete: Spilling Clarence
genres: Fiction, Science Fiction, Book Club, Literature, Adult, Science Fiction Fantasy, Novels, Contemporary, Adult Fiction, Fantasy
ratings_count: 867
awards: awardedAt: 1041408000000
name: Minnesota Book Award
category: New Voice (First-time author)
publisher: Hyperion