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The Clearing: A memoir of art, family and mental health
This house has been a regular presence in my life for as long as I can remember. My heart has sunk a little every time I walk in . . .
Samantha Clark enjoyed a busy career as an artist before returning home to Glasgow to take care of the house that her parents had left behind. Moving from room to room, sifting through the clutter of belongings, reflecting on her mother's long, sedated years of mental illness and her father's retreat to the world of amateur radio and model planes, Samantha began to contemplate her inheritance.
A need for creativity and a desire for solitude had sprung up from a childhood shaped by anxiety and confusion. Weaving in the works and lives of others, including celebrated painter Agnes Martin and scientist of dark matter Vera Rubin, The Clearing is a powerful account of what we must do with the things we cannot know.
'Samantha Clark writes on the subtle edge of words and thought. She renders the world within and the world of ideas with electric sensitivity and acute intelligence' Jay Griffiths
Samantha Clark enjoyed a busy career as an artist before returning home to Glasgow to take care of the house that her parents had left behind. Moving from room to room, sifting through the clutter of belongings, reflecting on her mother's long, sedated years of mental illness and her father's retreat to the world of amateur radio and model planes, Samantha began to contemplate her inheritance.
A need for creativity and a desire for solitude had sprung up from a childhood shaped by anxiety and confusion. Weaving in the works and lives of others, including celebrated painter Agnes Martin and scientist of dark matter Vera Rubin, The Clearing is a powerful account of what we must do with the things we cannot know.
'Samantha Clark writes on the subtle edge of words and thought. She renders the world within and the world of ideas with electric sensitivity and acute intelligence' Jay Griffiths
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First published March 5, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
December 3, 2020
I hardly know where to begin to review The Clearing. It is, quite simply, fabulous. The strapline to The Clearing claims it is ‘A memoir of art, family and mental health’ and whilst that is true, Samantha Clark’s writing is so very much more. The Clearing is science and self-discovery. It’s nature in all meanings, alongside nurture and spirituality. It is philosophy and entertainment. It is art, history and travel. In under 200 pages, Samantha Clark has written as multi-layered and beautiful a text as I have ever encountered. I feel privileged to have read it.
It’s difficult to review plot in a memoir, although one would usually expect quite a linear approach. As the title suggests, this is a book predicated on the author clearing out her parents’ home after their death. A literal clearing. And yet it isn’t. As Samantha Clark describes this physical clearing she spellbindingly weaves in her memories, both real and imagined, as well the subjects I’ve mentioned above, blending them with the clearing of her guilt at her relationship with her parents, her mother especially, and she shows just how there is a clearing, a space, in the most unexpected places where both she and her reader can find meaning and peace. Reading The Clearing is just glorious. It’s a kind of literary Japanese kintsugi that transports the reader into a realm of possibility even where there is grief and bleakness.
I found the visual quality of Samantha Clarks descriptions simply thrumming with meaning and emotion. Her attention to detail, her ability to unite the abstract and concrete together into something that is simultaneously ethereal and tangible, I found completely stunning. In The Clearing the invisible souls of the author’s parents, of herself and of humanity at large, fill the pages until the reader feels almost as close to the events she describes as the author herself. Many, many times I found Samantha Clark’s intensely personal writing created passages in The Clearing that expressed what I had indistinctly felt but had never been able to articulate for myself, so that reading this book was a kind of catharsis or clearing for me too.
It is impossible to define The Clearing. It is beautiful, literary and cerebral and yet it is accessible, personal and moving. I found it educational, hypnotic, mesmerising and emotional. I thought The Clearing was sublime and one of the best books I have read this year. Don’t miss it.
It’s difficult to review plot in a memoir, although one would usually expect quite a linear approach. As the title suggests, this is a book predicated on the author clearing out her parents’ home after their death. A literal clearing. And yet it isn’t. As Samantha Clark describes this physical clearing she spellbindingly weaves in her memories, both real and imagined, as well the subjects I’ve mentioned above, blending them with the clearing of her guilt at her relationship with her parents, her mother especially, and she shows just how there is a clearing, a space, in the most unexpected places where both she and her reader can find meaning and peace. Reading The Clearing is just glorious. It’s a kind of literary Japanese kintsugi that transports the reader into a realm of possibility even where there is grief and bleakness.
I found the visual quality of Samantha Clarks descriptions simply thrumming with meaning and emotion. Her attention to detail, her ability to unite the abstract and concrete together into something that is simultaneously ethereal and tangible, I found completely stunning. In The Clearing the invisible souls of the author’s parents, of herself and of humanity at large, fill the pages until the reader feels almost as close to the events she describes as the author herself. Many, many times I found Samantha Clark’s intensely personal writing created passages in The Clearing that expressed what I had indistinctly felt but had never been able to articulate for myself, so that reading this book was a kind of catharsis or clearing for me too.
It is impossible to define The Clearing. It is beautiful, literary and cerebral and yet it is accessible, personal and moving. I found it educational, hypnotic, mesmerising and emotional. I thought The Clearing was sublime and one of the best books I have read this year. Don’t miss it.
November 18, 2022
Oh my, this was some difficult reading.
I can see what Samantha Clark was trying to achieve here but I felt that the history of her parents was just too raw and too sad. The book if I'm honest brought me down. Her mother's story of a life wasted mired in anxiety is so depressing.
I think even when Clark tries to link in other aspects such as light, art, communication and nature, there is an underlying heaviness to the text which just cannot be shaken off.
Overall, I felt this account was just too personal and too grief-stricken to allow for pleasurable reading. I was ultimately disappointed and if I'm honest, I can't wait for the book to be out of my possession.
I can see what Samantha Clark was trying to achieve here but I felt that the history of her parents was just too raw and too sad. The book if I'm honest brought me down. Her mother's story of a life wasted mired in anxiety is so depressing.
I think even when Clark tries to link in other aspects such as light, art, communication and nature, there is an underlying heaviness to the text which just cannot be shaken off.
Overall, I felt this account was just too personal and too grief-stricken to allow for pleasurable reading. I was ultimately disappointed and if I'm honest, I can't wait for the book to be out of my possession.
February 11, 2021
I finished The Clearing by Samantha Clark last night, and I’m calling it now: this is a must-have addition to any nature-lover’s bookshelf. An artist and writer, Clark has written the most beautiful memoir on the spaces between, exploring clearings, the concept of the ether, the northern lights, and empty houses, in between writing about her relationships with her parents before and after they passed. An important lesson on solitude, forgiveness, and the acceptance of anger, this book carries grief in hand with art and nature.
Clark writes of her mother’s mental illness, and the way her teenage-self coped with it, in an honest, unflinching way, which leaves parts of the book heart-wrenching. In The Clearing, there is the sense that Clark has given her whole self over the writing, and that makes it truly special to read.
The blurb:
‘This house has been a regular presence in my life for as long as I can remember. My heart has sunk a little every time I walk in . . .
Samantha Clark enjoyed a busy career as an artist before returning home to Glasgow to take care of the house that her parents had left behind. Moving from room to room, sifting through the clutter of belongings, reflecting on her mother's long, sedated years of mental illness and her father's retreat to the world of amateur radio and model planes, Samantha began to contemplate her inheritance.
A need for creativity and a desire for solitude had sprung up from a childhood shaped by anxiety and confusion. Weaving in the works and lives of others, including celebrated painter Agnes Martin and scientist of dark matter Vera Rubin, The Clearing is a powerful account of what we must do with the things we cannot know.’
The Clearing is published by @littlebrownbookgroup_uk and is out now. Thank you to @samclarkartwrite for sending me a copy for review.
Clark writes of her mother’s mental illness, and the way her teenage-self coped with it, in an honest, unflinching way, which leaves parts of the book heart-wrenching. In The Clearing, there is the sense that Clark has given her whole self over the writing, and that makes it truly special to read.
The blurb:
‘This house has been a regular presence in my life for as long as I can remember. My heart has sunk a little every time I walk in . . .
Samantha Clark enjoyed a busy career as an artist before returning home to Glasgow to take care of the house that her parents had left behind. Moving from room to room, sifting through the clutter of belongings, reflecting on her mother's long, sedated years of mental illness and her father's retreat to the world of amateur radio and model planes, Samantha began to contemplate her inheritance.
A need for creativity and a desire for solitude had sprung up from a childhood shaped by anxiety and confusion. Weaving in the works and lives of others, including celebrated painter Agnes Martin and scientist of dark matter Vera Rubin, The Clearing is a powerful account of what we must do with the things we cannot know.’
The Clearing is published by @littlebrownbookgroup_uk and is out now. Thank you to @samclarkartwrite for sending me a copy for review.
April 16, 2021
"Memory is not just in mind. It lives in actual places, in actual things. It sits in empty chairs and in written carpets and smudged walls and light switches. I stand close to the wall and rest my own fingertips against the mark my father's touch had left, a final intimacy, the closest I will ever get to his physical presence again."
The Clearing is a heavy exploration of family, mental health and grief. Samantha Clark is incredibly open about her emotions and experiences making this a frank and important contribution to discussions about mental health and grief. The book follows the period of Clark clearing out her parents' house in Glasgow, following their death, interspersed with her memories of the past and philosophical musings.
She talks about the difficulties growing up with a mother who took medication to treat psychotic episodes, who was anxious to control and catalogue her every movement. Her mother who sent police round to find her when she failed to call. She discusses their fraught relationship and the difficulties of grieving for a woman she had never truly known and been losing over her entire life.
She talks about the burden of her parents as her father attempted to take care of her mother and suffered his own ailments. Her failure to do more but her inability to do so because of money, time, her parent's staunch opposition to meddling.
She delves into some very real difficulties that I think many people can understand and relate to, especially those who have cared for ageing relatives, know loved ones who suffer with their mental health and those dealing with grief.
My main gripe with the book was the many metaphors Clark uses. These drew heavily on science and space specifically and whilst some of them worked, I found the longer sections that dived into details about ether and dark matter really jarred my reading experience. These sections weren't really what I expected or wanted from a memoir about "art, family and mental health" and it meant I often skim read these sections.
Despite the short length this book felt quite dense and emotionally heavy, so not one I'd necessarily recommend to everyone. However the emotion touched me, it brought a tear to my eye and lump in my throat. It made me think about how messy and chaotic life can be, how unfair it can be, how loving family is not always easy and how grief weighs heavy on the soul. This book feels carthatic for Samantha Clark and whilst not a read I loved, it's one I can appreciate.
Thanks to Little Brown Books for the review copy.
January 5, 2024
Beautiful meditation on grief and the complex relationships between children and their parents. Clark's memoir starts with the death of her parents and the long, arduous task of clearing the house that they had lived in for decades. As she moves from room to room she explores her relationship with them through the objects and memories that are revealed. Clever, beautiful writing that has left me with so many thoughts and feelings days after finishing this.
July 31, 2020
Not always a comfortable read, and at times very, very sad, but this memoir about family, inheritance, history, memory, art, creativity, darkness and light is beautiful and luminous and ultimately about hope.
February 10, 2021
Samantha Clark bears her heart and soul for the world to see with such elegance and grace it was such a joy to read. She paints pictures with words and pushes that even further so you can almost smell her family home. The bittersweet tale of families resonates in every page a tale that all of us can connect with on some level. Despite the pain there is love and she does her mother a great honour in looking in between the unwritten lines of a life trapped in mental health issues. Her ability to put words together that have stayed with me are breath taking. Lines like… the space between them seem to hold all the answers… … long dark gaps between that create meaning…. I see this not just as a “clearing” but an honouring of being human, an acceptance of relationships as they are not how our love crazed media world would have it be. Thank you for this wonderful book.
January 19, 2021
The Clearing is one of the best books I have read in a long time. Samantha Clark has sensitively and poignantly written about clearing her parents' house after they died, giving us an insight into family life with it's memories, both happy and sad. Samantha Clark's work as a visual artist comes through strongly, as well as her interest in science, nature, weather, all of which are expertly folded into the family memoir.
January 3, 2025
I can't understand why this book hasn't received more recognition; it's one of the best memoirs out there. It's beautifully written and perfectly structured with some interesting thoughts on science as a metaphor to her journey through life. Yes, the memoir is heart-achingly sad, but it's also a story of hope, resilience and tenacity. Samantha Clark demonstrates a great deal of courage in writing her story. She digs deep and is brutally honest about her teenage self. At the same time, there is no sense of self pity in her examination of her upbringing. In all of this her writing never feels contrived or inauthentic. The ending of the story is very moving, written with tenderness and I think with a sense of acceptance of her difficult past. It's almost as if Clark's mother's helplessness and inertia as a result of her mental illness has driven the artist's own creativity and productivity. I wonder if that's the case.
May 21, 2021
Sublime. A books that weaves the warp of personal history with the weft of physics, philosophy, and art history to create a fine fabric that serves to comfort and encompass reader and author both in its texture. The highest quality, most insulating fabrics are woven or knitted from plant fibres that house a hollow centre (linen, hemp) or animal hairs that kink and coil to create airy pockets (wool, angora). So "The Clearing" meditates on the idea of emptiness being a necessary force for the fullness we see and experience. Whether that emptiness is construed as grief, as mental illness, as the dark matter of physics, and the unremarkable activities of daily living, or as winter's cold, Dr. Clark's careful attention to each of these subjects makes this book not only a warming and enriching read, but a basic reference primer on these abstract and esoteric topics.
"Most of what we call our life is not found in the stories we can tell, the narrative thread of incident and anecdote we use to define our self. It is the numberless forgotten hours, the dark matter of the humdrum everyday now sunk away in forgetfulness, all the lived moments that now burn in the instant now gone dim, but still there, dark ballast to the shining present."
"Most of what we call our life is not found in the stories we can tell, the narrative thread of incident and anecdote we use to define our self. It is the numberless forgotten hours, the dark matter of the humdrum everyday now sunk away in forgetfulness, all the lived moments that now burn in the instant now gone dim, but still there, dark ballast to the shining present."
May 16, 2022
I read this while spending a few days with my elderly parents. My sister and I are making hard decisions and sacrifices and watching our parents decline in new ways.
Reading this honest view of the mixed feelings losing parents brings was just what I needed. I have not faced the mental illness issue but I recognize so much of the seeking in this book. All I can say is thank you for writing it.
Reading this honest view of the mixed feelings losing parents brings was just what I needed. I have not faced the mental illness issue but I recognize so much of the seeking in this book. All I can say is thank you for writing it.
January 9, 2025
This memoir resonated with me in art, moving & parental relationships. The writing style is beautiful & this made it something to hold on awe. I treasured the experience of reading it & it inspired me to think more about the art of words as well as other media all being closely connected.
December 4, 2021
I can only say “Thank You” 🙏🏼
December 5, 2021
This was an exquisite book. Annie Dillard's Pilgrim at Tinker Creek meets Deborah Levy's Cost of Living. I savoured it slowly and loved every moment of it.
May 30, 2023
Mucho depresso but v.beautfully written
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews