Necropsy In E Minor

by Alan Ramón Clinton

Shortlisted for the Dundee International Book Prize, Necropsy in E Minor is the tale of a young college professor who sits down to write what he calls a “memoir,” but which really only records the past six months of his life (with numerous digressions), and ends, with the last line, after a richly devastating encounter, at the moment of writing.

Who is this person? That is kept a secret, despite the fact that he is writing for no audience other than himself. His name does not appear, but those of others do, necessary to ensure the accuracy of the anagrams and puns that have helped map his universe since he found “The Note.” Given his disposal to interpret this anonymous confessional/fantasy story, an endeavor undertaken with the firm belief that it was written for him, by someone he knows, and purposefully left for him to find.

Having abandoned the scholarly methodologies and subjects that would actually allow him to attain tenure, our professor on the lam performs all manner of linguistic analyses of the note, drives around the rim of Florida (the pilgrimage method, fittingly circular), desperately uses inkblots, the I Ching, and tarot cards for practical advice, adopts a cat named Sanity, becomes an amateur ornithologist, develops a theory of “instantaneous architecture,” endures a shamanic experience, and eggs himself on with the hope that, no matter what happens, his “memoir” might one day be found by archaeologists and thereby provide a key to human life at the close of the twentieth century.

184 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 1, 2011

Reviews

[♥ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Phew, you certainly do have to put a little work in when reading Necropsy in E Minor. It seemed to take me forever to read and more often than not the words just washed over me. Often I wondered whether I had read the sentence correctly as I couldn't make head nor tale of it and so would re-read and re-read. I would start reading a section and feel confident knowing who, what and where only to find half way down a page we had been transported to a completely different universe which left me wondering who, what, where? I would find I would be just fine reading a couple of pages or so and then all of sudden it felt like I must have slept for a minute or so because then I would be reading and found I really had no idea what was going on, if it was going on, who was doing what and whether it actually mattered to the story. Confused? I was at times...

That said, this is a stream of consciousness and it is intentional by the author. In this respect it is a clever piece or work and it does give a sense of the fractured mind of the narrator. For that I give 3 stars alone and I appreciate that some people may find it an excellent book. I think the previous review sums up my thoughts exactly especially in relation to the stories being told here by the narrator. Yes, some are funny, some sentences are profound and some are not as successful and mere ramblings. Some sentences made me scratch my head 'huh?' whilst others just flowed so beautifully....

"Perhaps a blank sheet of paper has some memory of wood, but once you've placed the first dot or dash, the wood's stories are banished"...

Writing a review on Necropsy is certainly a challenge and I have been unsure what to say. I want to say this is a brilliant piece of work, very well thought out and written but I also want to say I found it hard to read, confusing, too clever for it's own good and, oh, where was I? But then I come across sentences such as "The floor of the hospital felt like sand underneath a foot of water" and stop and think and be back to 'isn't it a great piece of work?' and then I ramble and stumble and wonder if I am asleep or awake. Oops there I go..now where was I? So I shall fall on both sides of the fence - legs over there and head over here. It is meant to be this way I think and is how the narrator would like it I think! It isn't often I finish a book and am still left wondering whether I liked it or not...I think I did though..eventually....

Anyway, Necropsy in E Minor is definitely NOT a holiday/beach/quick read/no need to think too much book and it most definitely IS a ouch my head hurts/where am I/where was I/who is this/who the heck am I kind of book. Confused yet?

[Angela · Rating 2 out of 5]

As another reviewer commented, I, too, was not sure if I liked this book or not by the time I was done reading it. I tend to have a strong appreciation for those writers who choose to relay their tale in stream of consciousness form, which I certainly appreciate of Clinton's writing. I felt that, much like anyone's thoughts, there were moments that were profound, some that were beautiful, and many that were vague. With such indirect bits of story and wisdom, it is necessary for the reader to be patient and take the time to really read this book. While I feel that there is much to be pondered on from Necropsy, I agree that a second read would likely heighten my understanding --and possibly, enjoyment--of this book.