Julie's Review: Losing Clementine

Summary:  In thirty days Clementine Pritchard will be finished with her last painting and her life. World-renowned artist and sharp-tongued wit Clementine Pritchard has decided that she's done. After flushing away a medicine cabinet full of prescriptions, she gives herself thirty days to tie up loose ends—finish one last painting, make nice with her ex-husband, and find a home for her cat. Clementine plans to spend the month she has left in a swirl of art-world parties, manic work sessions, and outrageous acts—but what she doesn't expect is to uncover secrets surrounding the tragedy that befell her mother and sister. In an ending no one sees coming, will we lose Clementine or will we find her? A bold debut from an exciting new voice, Losing Clementine is a wonderfully entertaining and poignant novel about unanticipated self-discovery that features one of the most irresistible, if deeply flawed, characters to grace contemporary fiction in years. ~amazon.com

Review:  Losing Clementine is an unique novel. It is not comparable to any book I've read. It is fresh, it is honest. It makes you look at someone who is suffering from mental illness in a new light. It also shows the long lasting effects of having a history of mental illness in a family.

Clementine is an interesting character. She is definitely not without faults but within those faults is a deep honesty to herself. She's not so honest with the people in her life. She lies to them about what is going to happen and what it is exactly she's preparing for. As we follow her through the last 30 days of her life, her life is pieced together as a canvas that she herself might paint.

She works through and I'd say resolves most of her issues in her life, including tracking down her father and beating the crap out of him towards the end. As you read through the novel, you keep wondering "will she, won't she?". I liked that we were kept in the loop on her decision making and how we got a view into her head. I won't say I agree with her but I can understand why she felt there was only one option.

Ms. Ream has written a distinct debut novel. She had a true understanding of Clementine and her mental illness. She wrote with passion and compassion for her character. I also liked how each chapter was a countdown in her 30 day quest.
As usual, Alice has picked a novel for me that I might not have otherwise have picked up and I thank her for that.

Losing Clementine is a novel really not to be missed for it's unique perspective. I look forward to reading whatever else Ms. Ream writes.

Final Take: 4.25/5

Alice's Review