wdyrt?: The Voice of the Clown

Why is her mother so terrified? Possibly because her daughter is somehow a reincarnation of her husband's vengeful ex-girlfriend but also so is her clown doll? Maybe? Also because: Clown Doll.

Welcome to the very first why did you read this?. I've decided to go for broke from the get go, with The Voice of the Clown by Brenda Brown Canary.

 Our story begins with the suicide of a young woman named Molly. See, Molly had an on again, off again sexual relationship with her childhood sweetheart TJ, but before she could tell him that she was pregnant, he came home from college with a pregnant fiancee named Kate. Learn about contraception, TJ. Molly had her son (Reming) and Kate had hers (Harley), but TJ married Kate and Molly got to live with her dad and hear the judgement of all of their neighbors. Seems fair. TJ offers to support Molly and Reming on the side, but Molly declines that offer and instead chooses to leap off of a local cliff, sending her hate for Kate out into the universe as she goes.

Cut to six or so years later, when TJ and Kate's family has expanded by two: Laura, their young daughter, and Clown, a freaking terrifying clown doll that just appeared in Laura's crib one day years earlier, and to which Laura is deeply attached. Laura doesn't speak to anyone (though she can, but only we the readers know this) and she communicates I guess telepathically? with this clown. Clown is obviously Molly, it has memories of TJ and her father and harbors a deep animosity towards Kate, but also Laura is Molly too? She likewise has memories she couldn't have (she goes into the mountains with Reming one day and locates a toy that Molly buried in the woods), and she also hates her mother a whole lot.

Bringing up that trip to the mountains is probably as good a time as any to mention that Molly and her father are Native American, and her father is a shaman who has a pretty good idea that his daughter is possessing/has been reincarnated in Laura, but who really doesn't do a damn thing about it until after things have started getting really, really bad. On said mountain trip, Laura encounters the spirits of Molly's ancestors, who are none-too-pleased to see her, but she doesn't entirely understand what's going on. There is a thread of mysticism throughout this book that only really comes up occasionally (like before Molly’s suicide) and mainly for the big magic showdown at the end.

The household consists of TJ, Kate, Harley, Laura, TJ's mother (Nana), and Sally, the housekeeper/cook/Nana's best friend. Oh, and sometimes Reming, who isn't acknowledged as TJ's son, but just as a family friend. Reming is probably the best character. Everyone but Harley hates Kate, who starts off the book by forcing Laura to go to school, which ends very poorly, as Laura and Clown rile the other students up into a riot, driving the teacher to have a breakdown and start throwing first-graders around the room. That’s what I said.

Kate seduces TJ and gets pregnant (let me just say right now that the baby doesn't make it to the end of the book, which isn't really a surprise in this sort of story, but this one is a particularly hard time because hachi machi), and turns all of her attention onto the baby (and Harley), causing Laura jealousy even as she's actively trying to get her mother out of the house. Laura's major tactic is to say nasty things to her mother when they're alone, so that when Kate tries to tell everyone that Laura can talk, she has to also tell them that sweet little Laura called her a bitch, which inevitably backfires on her. The local doctor suggests that maybe they could get Kate a friend, since Nana has Sally and TJ sucks, but instead the family hires a former military nurse who immediately takes Nana and Laura's side and is horrible to Kate (AND insults the baby for crying!).

Kate is confined to her room after some framing by Laura and Clown, and descends further into depression after the baby dies, culminating in a suicide attempt at the baby's funeral, while she's being mentally controlled by Laura's magic. Oh yeah, did I mention the magic? Laura destroys Clown in order to frame her brother Harley and after this she still hears Clown's voice, but they are now one person and it's obviously Molly and she knows magic? I maybe have no idea what happens in this book.

Molly's dad finally decides to do something about all this and he and Laura/Molly do some magical battle, wherein he manages to save Kate and almost kill Laura, as well as hear confirmation that his daughter's spirit is behind all of this. Oh and at one point during all of this TJ finally tells Reming that Reming is his son and is basically like "and I'm glad, because Harley is the worst" and Reming kinda tells him to go to hell. Reming is the best.

The story ends the only way it could end---with TJ and Laura driving off to the mountains, where Laura sort of turns into Molly? and then they both swan dive off of the cliff. Their bodies are found by Nana and Molly's dad the next morning, and Molly's dad really doesn't take the responsibility for this entire debacle that he should. Maybe use that magic a little sooner next time.


So: why did you read this?

Well, like so many people have (and even more people should) I absolutely devoured Paperbacks From Hell after receiving it for Christmas last year, and this was one of the numerous titles in the book that I thought "Wow, I have to get my hands on that one". And, luck of lucks, there it was on the shelf at my local used bookstore, just waiting for me. Waiting to weird me right the hell out.

So: Should I read it?

Huh. That's a tough call. It's not an easy read, to be quite honest. Even knowing, as these books go, that bad things are going to happen to children, that's never fantastic to read, and the Native American mysticism parts of the book are a little eye-rolling at times. That being said, it's definitely an experience? That doesn't sound like a strong recommendation, does it? If you can get your hands on it, give it a whirl. At the very least, you get to say you read something called The Voice of the Clown.

So: What else should I read?

Paperbacks from Hell!