Lost in Clover

by Travis Richardson

Welcome to Clover, Kansas, a small town sitting in the middle of America’s Heartland. It's a peaceful community, until the night that high school student Jeremy Rogers accepts an invitation to party with the “cool” older kids. After things go irreparably wrong, and Clover is thrust into the national spotlight, Jeremy keeps his involvement a secret. As the town heals from the tragedy, Jeremy falls into a psychological abyss from which he cannot escape, until he encounters the monster from his past and has an opportunity to redeem himself. A novella.

Genres: Young Adult

96 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 31, 2012

About the author

Travis Richardson was born in Germany, raised in Oklahoma, and currently lives in California. He has worked over 20 jobs in fields ranging from hot dog vending to television post production to university fundraising. His novella Lost in Clover came out in November and he has a story in the anthology Scoundrels: Tales of Greed, Murder and Financial Crimes. He has a few short stories published online as well. He also writes screenplays and directs short movies. Find out more at http://tsrichardson.com

Reviews

[Leftbanker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kansas sucks and then then you die is the moral of this story. As the comedian said, I lived there (or a place just as hopeless and boring) until I realized that I was free to leave. I've always wondered what percentage of the top 5% of high school graduates stay in the small Midwest towns where they grew up? 5% would be my estimate.

I realize this has little to do with this novel that I thoroughly enjoyed, but I reviewed it elsewhere and just wanted to rate it here on my page.

Check out his stories here and I'm sure that you'll want to read this book:
https://www.shotgunhoney.com/fiction/...

[Rory Costello · Rating 4 out of 5]

The theme of this book is very relevant today, and the story is strong and clear, with a very likeable central character in Jeremy. Mature teenagers could enjoy this book too, but its level of sophistication is equally good for adults. I get the impression there'll be more Jeremy Rogers tales to come, and I'll be on board.

[John Scheck · Rating 5 out of 5]

(I posted this before and then somehow deleted it.)

I discovered this writer through his stories here: https://www.shotgunhoney.com/fiction/...

His stories on this site come at you from a lot of different angles and this little gem continued to expand on that range of subject matter.

What really pulled me in was the depiction of high school life that seems all of us experience in the USA, a world of clicks and pressure to succeed and define yourself, or not. The experience for me was mainly something I didn’t enjoy and the only thing that got me through it was the thought that life would get a lot better, and it did.

I would have finished the novella in one sitting this morning except I had to watch the goddamned Tour de France (yesterday's amazing TT). This was fun. Reading is supposed to be fun. Why do so many writers seem to have a problem understanding that idea?

[Sonia Fogal · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Alright then, let’s get these shingles up on the roof so we can have a good time tonight with a clear conscience.”
This sentence ends the first chapter and the age of innocence for Jeremy Rogers. It is a sentence of irony and foreshadowing.

“Lost in Clover” is an enjoyable, well-written story. The night that follows the sentence above is not fun and results in many years of a terribly guilty conscience for Jeremy. I sympathized with Jeremy and his depression, but I was not emotionally involved to the level that I would have liked.

Jeremy feels inferior to some of his friends because of the difference in social class from the beginning, something to which many of us can relate. He’s a good kid with good values who is trying to do the right thing. He gladly accepts an invitation to a barbeque with many higher-class kids and finds himself pulled into their drunken decision to harass their lifelong tormentor. Jeremy bails on his friends before the night takes a tragic turn.

He spends years feeling guilty, and beating himself up for a part he did play in the ensuing tragedy as well as for other poor decisions he has made or opportunities he has missed. In the end, he gets a chance to do something honorable and heroic, and that was gratifying to read. The very end of the book, however, was corny.

The pacing of the book was well-done, and the plot was strong. More development of some of the characters, as well as the town of Clover, would have made me more emotionally invested in the story. While the life-changing events of that night are unquestionably tragic, I did not have a moment then, or anywhere else in the story that I felt a strong emotion for any of the characters or any of the events.

Eddie Cooper is the perpetrator of the tragic events and is well-developed in the way that I’d like to see some of the other characters developed. Eddie is angry and violent. His backstory helps us understand his actions and sympathize with him to a point. I would like to know more about Kevin’s relationship with Jeremy in the past. Tell me about some experiences they had together. Tell me more about some of Clover’s residents. Tell me more about the town – what does it look like, what kind of social activities go on, what does the town celebrate and how?

The language is clear and precise and easy to read. There were no distracting technical issues.

I recommend this book as a fun, easy read with a good plot.

[Judy & Marianne from Long and Short Reviews · Rating 3 out of 5]

Originally posted at: http://www.longandshortreviews.com/bo...

Sometimes living with the emotional aftermath of a tragedy is more difficult than experiencing it in the first place. It’s easy to wonder how the outcome of a terrible event might have improved if you’d tried a different approach but living in the past can never change what happened.

Jeremy is deeply conflicted. He knows more about what really happened than he lets on but he has no idea how to release his secret without causing more harm. His guilt and subsequent depression went a long way in endearing me to this character. Emotional trauma can take much more time to heal than a bullet wound or broken limb and because the injuries are invisible even the most well-meaning relatives may not understand what one is going through.

As much as I liked Jeremy the stereotypes in this book threatened to overwhelm the plot. Crazy Eddie’s family is dirt poor, verbally and physically abusive, alcoholic, gun-crazed, racist and ignorant. The citizens of Clover are so xenophobic that they blame troubles for which their friends and neighbours are responsible on the media. Outsiders are dragged through the coals for breaking laws that Clover residents trample over without a second thought.

I grew up in a similar community and know that there are kernels of truth behind all of these stereotypes. The cultural differences between small, rural towns and the urban reports who descend on Clover after the shooting are cannot be ignored. What concerns me is how poorly some of Jeremy’s friends and family members may come across to readers who have never lived in a small town. Casual firearm use and a school prayer that is not lead by students are two of the issues that stand out to me as the easiest for people who have not grown up in this culture to misunderstand.

With that being said the plot of Lost in Clover did an excellent job portraying how the events of one horrific night can ripple through the lives of those affect by it a decade later. Time doesn’t heal all wounds and some memories will never have their sharp edges blunted no matter how many years pass.

Lost in Clover is a chilling reminder of what happens when secrets fester. This is the perfect book for anyone who has ever ached for the truth to be revealed or wondered what really happens behind the closed doors of other people’s houses.

[Michelle Isler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lost In Clover is a story about a teenage boy living in Clover, a small town in Kansas. Jeremy is your typical teenager with a job cutting lawn. After some beers with his friends one night, they all get together and decide that it is time to teach the town's bully a lesson. Jeremy knows that there is more to the story behind the life of Crazy Eddie, the town bully. Eddie lived with an abusive dad and, unfortunately, the violence was passed on down to Eddie and he retaliated by taking it out on his school mates.

Jeremy still goes along for the ride and things get quickly out of hand. It seems that this group of boys wants to show Eddie Cooper what is known in the town of Clover as "putting you in your place". The night's activities turn into one of the town's bloodiest massacres. Travis Richardson's takes us through the trial and makes us feel the fear and angst that Jeremy feels. After this episode in Jeremy's life, his life continues in a downward spiral. As we follow the kids through graduation and the beginning of their lives outside in the real world, we find that one event in a person's life can cast a veil of darkness on the rest of their life.

Jeremy does get a chance to lift that veil and start a new life for himself. It looks as if this might be the first book in a series about Jeremy Rogers. I hope it is because I look forward to reading more of Richardson's books.

I found him to be a talented writer that, definitely, had you feeling the anxiety that Jeremy felt. After reading a lot of books, I find myself looking at how clean and tight a writer presents his stories. Travis definitely passed that test. New characters were introduced and explained to the reader without becoming too wordy or dull. I finished the book quickly. I don't know if it was an easy read or just so good that I could not put it down. I recommend you pick it up and give it a shot.

[Benoit Lelièvre · Rating 2 out of 5]

There are books that reveal you things about yourself that, for some reason, weren't entirely clear before. For that reason, I cannot entirely dislike my reading of LOST IN CLOVER. That realization is: I kind got over my teenage years. I was raised in a brutal place, I had my own set of issues to deal with but I got over it. Not only I got over it, but as soon as I had a chance, I left town and ran head first into adulthood. So reading LOST IN CLOVER made me proud of myself...in the strangest possible way.

I can't find any other reason why Jeremy Rogers, the protagonsit of LOST IN CLOVER, irked me so much. He's going through some loaded stuff, I get it. The cause of his guilt makes complete sense. But he's SURROUNDED with people who want nothing but to help him turn the corner on the haunting events he's been a part of and Jeremy wants none of it. I am conscious it's a very adolescent reaction, yet LOST IN CLOVER is supposed to be coming-of-age type of novel and Jeremy is supposed to get confronted to his behavior.

Anyway, mark this as a 'it's not for me' rather than 'it was bad'. The form is clever and I enjoyed reading something that happened over a long period of time. It was a nice change of pace from the close quarter investigation type of novel and I like how Richardson skimmed details and concentrated on specific events. I thought it was a bold decision that helped keeping things fluid. Otherwise, I'm thankful for truths about my own life LOST IN CLOVER has brought to the surface, yet I understood I wasn't meant to like this novel when I found out I identified more with Jeremy's exasperated father rather than with Jeremy himself.

[Deborah · Rating 1 out of 5]

I love a good story of identity found and redemption earned.

This was not one.

This was boring and drab, plodding along like an outline most of the time. Few scenes were actually shown, and those that were lacked dramatic tension. The characters existed primarily as single traits personified. The only thing going for this book is its plot, and even that meanders and wraps up far too quickly.

The one thing I enjoyed about this book was a glimpse of a different culture (shotgun weddings, firearms all over, towns where everyone knows everyone) but even this felt more like pellets of information. What could have been an evocative setting was, instead, bland and underused.

[KL · Rating 2 out of 5]

Short novella about a teenager who makes a decision that alters his life in a traumatic way, and then relates the harsh consequences of his decision.
I felt it was a bit too fast paced for the subject matter, but that's just my opinion. At first it seemed like it might have been written for young adult readers, thus the fast pacing, but the subject matter is intense and centers around a violent act, so it left me wondering.
The story itself was interesting, but think it could have used more character development, a slower pace and a few more chapters to really flesh it out.
I give it 2 1/2 stars.

[D.J. Adamson · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author does a great job writing a YA-Adult crossover dealing with the themes of "Coming of Age" and "Consequences". Having made a decision not to go with the crowd causes our young protagonist guilt and remorse until he is able to admit his decision head-on by reconciling it in his life. Many of us have not made a decision to this tragic degree as in this story, but we have all made decisions we regretted. Lost in Cover is a wonderful "Coming of Age" no matter your age.

[Laurie Stevens · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a fan of psychology, I loved the conflict of the main character. Basically, he caves in to a need to be accepted and "causes" a town tragedy. Whether or not he truly caused the tragedy is debatable, but he thinks he did. The author does a fabulous job of showing how one decision can impact an entire life. It also shows how we are our own worst enemy. Bravo, Travis. I liked this one.

[Terry Shames · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good, fast read. I think it's more of a young adult novel, and I'd like to see a full-scale adult read from Richardson. This book has humor and heart.

[Kevin Barney · Rating 5 out of 5]

So i didn't read this version, I read an earlier version in a writing workshop with the author. I can only assume the published version is slightly better than what I read. Great fun read.