Check out Spilling Clarence by Anne Ursu.



I was drawn to this book after reading the first chapter, an exciting jaunt through the town of Clarence during an explosion at the chemical plant. Something is released into the air – men in yellow plastic suits tromp around town for a few days – and then everyone is told to return to life as normal. Very soon it becomes apparent that life is not normal—everyone in the town has breathed a potent drug that unlocks their memories. While the story focuses on one family, memories are spilling over in the minds of Clarence citizens. The past comes flooding back to Bernie, who is a young widower and a psychology professor. His eight-year-old daughter Sophie remembers everything about her infancy– his mother Madeline, who lives in a retirement home, is almost overwhelmed by her memories. Anne Ursu draws out the fine lines between remembering and forgetting – through war veterans, homesick lovers, families, love, loss, regret, and personal history. As each person in Clarence lives their past and their present simultaneously, as each character is explored completely, as each citizen slips further into their own memories, we begin to wonder how we forget, how we look forward, how we exonerate ourselves for our pasts. The book was very moving but never sentimental. I recommend it whole-heartedly.

Reviewed by Lissa Staley