Memorabilia

by A.S. Coomer

When adjunct professor Stephen Paul accidentally discovers the suicide note of his recently deceased friend, he unwittingly trips a wire into his own enigmatic madness. Within hours, the basic characteristics of his life rupture and are transformed by incarceration and psychiatric chaos. As a prisoner of the state and of his own body, Stephen's existence appears absurd, ruthless, and barely stitched together. He must come to embrace that the only way out is through an associative mind, one that is as much invisible as it is material.
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Memorabilia is a Kafkaesque narrative driven by the existential nature of creation. It’s a novel of self-discovery, exploration, and understanding, risking more and more as it progresses. A.S. Coomer questions the nature of reality and the reliability of the mind.

ebook

First published November 6, 2019

About the author

A.S. Coomer is a writer, musician, artist, and friend of cats. Books include Memorabilia, Birth of a Monster, The Fetishists, Songs for Leaving, Shining the Light, Flirting with Disaster & Other Poems, Misdeeds, The Flock Unseen, The Devil's Gospel, & several others. www.ascoomer.com

Reviews

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mental mayhem on a screaming train without a conductor; the essence of Kafka, Camus, and Sartre wrestle for the wheel. An adjunct Professor's life is derailed when he accidentally discovers the suicide note of a recently deceased friend, which unwittingly trips a wire into his own enigmatic madness. Within hours, his life is transformed by incarceration and psychiatric chaos. As a prisoner of the state and of his own body, Stephen's existence appears absurd, ruthless, and barely stitched together. He must come to embrace that the only way out is through an associative mind, one that is as much invisible as it is material.

Memorabilia is a Kafkaesque narrative driven by the existential nature of creation. It’s a novel of self-discovery, exploration, and understanding, risking more and more as it progresses. A.S. Coomer questions the nature of reality and the reliability of the mind.

[Tex Gresham · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a madhouse of a book. It starts off like a jaded Lucky Jim, slips its way into a paranoiac One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, then ends like a redemptive Hollywood movie that's totally unsettling given the rest of the book. But at the heart, it's about the transformations we make within ourselves. It's about escaping pits, whether self-inflicted or caused by others. It's about the dark night of the soul and the idea that after the rain, the ground is still there, just a little wet. Yes, I liked this book and recommend giving it a read.

[Paula Coomer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I lost track when reading the book: who exactly is losing their mind? This protagonist or me? Powerful exploration, and intersection between Kafka and Lance Olsen. Pulse-thumping and completely unforgettable.

[Lloyd Kerns · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had the pleasure of being a beta reader for this one, and it comes as no surprise that it got picked up and is doing well. There is nothing else like this one out. It's a quirky tale that often had me recalling ONE FLEW OVER THE CUKCOOS NEST, though without being an imitation in the slightest. AS Coomer has always found ways to work his prose like poetry and in this case has actually found a way to deliver the poetry straight out in the "chapters". He's a writer much like Pahlinuk in that he always attempts something new, never afraid to experiment and break away from the standard novel.

[Joseph (Kevin) Lewis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I believe in half stars, so this one is a 4.5 for me. I think I may round this up when I think I have understood it better. A straight story honestly and elegantly told about the decline into a mental breakdown and the slow assent to a new life. A.S. Coomer's prose are like butter - smooth and rich. They give, what could be deemed as a boring, placid take on mental illness, it's depth of flavor. I can't think of a better paced novel off the top of my head. After the first 50 pages, I read not to find horror, or pay-offs, or , but for the interactions that seemed so real between Stephen and whomever or whatever he encountered. The details, the meaning, is in the mundane. "The bit of darkness more blue than black".
Looking forward to reading more from Coomer.