An Arsonist's Guide...

Categories: Local Interest , Fiction

Brock Clarke, a Cincinnati writer and all-around good guy, does not promote arson or any other sorts of criminal activity, really.  It's just that the hero of his novel inadvertently started a fire at an important historical site, and things quickly went downhill from there.  In An Arsonist's Guide to Writers' Homes in New England, Sam Pulsifer is an 'accidental arsonist', a self-professed 'bumbler', and sort of an everyman who seems to be sleepwalking through life.   He serves as a lightning rod for the trials and tribulations that commonly befall the modern American male.   

Meanwhile, author Clarke (Dept. of English and Comparative Literature, University of Cincinnati) aims his satirical arrows at targets such as academia, suburban housing developments, literary trendiness, and other pretentious concepts that permeate our contemporary lives.   It is a fascinating novel that takes the reader through some surprising territory, and it is entirely delightful.  A reviewer in Publisher's Weekly said it best; "Sam is equal parts fall guy and tour guide in this bighearted and wily jolt to the American literary legacy."  A look at Clarke's blog offers an inviting introduction to his unassuming writing style.  I predict that we will be hearing a lot about Clarke's novel in the weeks to come.