Not That I Recall received a 4+ star review, making it an IndieReader Approved title.
Following find an interview with author Adam Clemente.
What is the name of the book and when was it published?
Not That I Recall. It was released in July of 2017.
What’s the book’s first line?
“When I regained consciousness, I was desperately in the mood for a poptart.”
There was a personal imperative for me to mention Pop-Tarts at least once every single sentence for the first few sentences of the book. Largely because it seemed kind of insane and gives a confusing and immediate sense of the character’s capacity for fixation.
Every time I’d edit the first page, though, I remember thinking: “Gee, I really don’t think I should say ‘poptart’ THIS many times to start the book…” Out of principle, I forced myself to keep it.
Plus, “Pop-Tart” as a term, is allegorical to the driving force of the story. Dissected and put into context, it basically translates to mean: “Instant Gratification-Sudden Flavor treat.”
What’s the book about? Give us the “pitch”.
Formally: Not That I Recall is a comedy novella about the clumsy, confusing, adventures of a supernaturally dim-witted man named Ray. After the mysterious death of his wife, whose name and very existence he constantly forgets (along with everything else,) he stumbles his way through mystery, danger, and abject stupidity at every turn.
Casually: It’s a quasi-surreal slapstick mystery. Ray, whose name is mentioned only a few times throughout the entire story, was designed to be a physical representation of pure id compulsion. His thought processes are limited to infantile knee-jerk reactions.
He’s cripplingly distractible, narcoleptic, has virtually zero short-term memory, struggles with even basic facial recognition, and he possesses a myriad of other problems which make him ill-equipped for life in general, exponentially so for solving a murder.
What inspired you to write the book? A particular person? An event?
I’ve always been of big fan of John Schwartzwelder’s style of writing, which influenced me heavily over the years. Then, I read The Stench of Honolulu (by the incredibly funny Jack Handy,) and remember thinking his book was a lot like Schwartzwelder’s stories, in both good ways and bad.
The more I thought about it, the more I realized there are hardly any books in that style of writing, which is a shame, especially because it’s so fitting for the current time. Serious presentation of the absurd; non-sequiturs, casual violence, gross-out gags; but framed delicately to catch you off guard and really push the duality of real and fake.
Slapstick is not easy to write. With sound and picture, it can be a lot simpler, but in literature, the wording has to be incredibly precise for it to work. I wanted to write something that proves you can construct sophisticated “low brow” humor. Even though it’s an insane and silly comedy, there are moments that give cause for contemplation. Under the surface, it’s really an exploration of the mechanics of story-telling.
What’s the main reason someone should really read this book?
Up front, I’d say it is not for everybody. It’s high on the zaniness scale, and can be a bit grotesque for the casual reader.
It’s perhaps best suited for intellectual types, who also happen to have a proclivity for immature or crude comedy. If you don’t like jokes that deal with wordplay and vomit, you probably won’t enjoy this book.
What’s the most distinctive thing about the main character? Who-real or fictional-would you say the character reminds you of?
The main character, Ray, is not a traditional, or even terribly likable hero. He’s basically a cowardly, psychotic, baby-man.
To say he’s mentally challenged is almost misleading. He’s got a cartoonish kind of brain. He’s completely solipsistic and selfish, so it’s not unreasonable to find him detestable or frustrating. But for the same reasons, he’s also fairly guileless and innocent. He’s somewhat incapable of being malicious, even when he’s being horrible- which is often.
Comparing him to pre-existing characters, he’s a bit of an amalgam of Mr. Magoo, Homer Simpson (at his most selfish) and Guy Pearce’s character from the movie “Memento”.
If they made your book into a movie, who would you like to see play the main character(s)?
I’d want two different actors playing the main character. One person for the physical performance and a second person voicing all the internal dialogue.
Ray would probably best be played by a good-looking, baby-faced actor, which would also give the audience an explanation as to why some of his inexcusable behavior is tolerated. Travis Schuldt or Charlie Day might be good. Also, I think Daniel Craig could be an amazing pick. He’s got this piercing, mysterious face; and it would be great if his inner-voice was the complete opposite.
I’d most likely want the voice actor to be someone like Billy West or Tobey Huss, who have the unique ability to turn a voice into its own character. But I think John Malkovich would be great too, for different reasons. He’d add a level of theatrical intensity that would really amplify the surreal side of the material.
Is this the first you’ve written?
This is my first published book, although it’s a departure from what I usually write. Typically, I write short stories that deal with realistic social relationships, science fiction, or else material that’s really avant-garde. Not That I Recall is pretty much the only slapstick I’ve ever written.
Someone actually told me they thought this book was avant-garde. I was like, “No. Avant-garde is a book about a universe inhabited only by a nipple-covered neon garbage can that lactates fire in undulating fractal shapes. This book is just a little weird.”
Would you go traditional if a publisher came calling? If so, why?
Most likely. I love writing, but I’m not overly fond of all the social networking involved in trying to promote yourself. I generally don’t like having to interact with people.
As a point of reference, I used to live in a busy apartment building and if I ever had to leave my house while I heard people chit-chatting outside in the hallway, I used to climb out the window and down the fire escape instead of using the door, just to avoid the mind-numbing experience of having to say hello.
Is there something in particular that motivates you (fame? fortune? more sex?)
This is sort of the ultimate ontological question. I think we’d all like to have the perfect amount of fame, fortune, and intercourse- but is there really such a thing? There’s good and bad of each.
The question also gives off a bit of a Twilight Zone-y vibe for me. You wish to be famous, rich, and have non-stop sex, and then poof..! Suddenly, you’re in some kind of ironic hell where you’re famous for winning the lottery, getting abducted, held prisoner, and raped for all eternity as it’s perpetually broadcast on a satanic reality show.
Which writer, living or dead, do you most admire?
Kurt Vonnegut and Larry McMurtry. Most great authors write a mix of spectacular and not-so-spectacular material, but everything I’ve ever read from either of them was just so spot-on and enjoyable.
Which book do you wish you could have written?
This feels like theft for some reason, and I’d hate to steal someone else’s work, but…
Maybe the HG Wells short, The Time Machine, which always amazed me. I was pretty young when I first read it, and it almost defied comprehension just how applicable it was (and is) to humanity as a whole, especially when you consider how simple it is as a concept. The main character’s never even named. That alone had a big impact on me. Plus, he coined the term “time machine” which can’t be overstated.
Also, A Boy and His Dog by Harlan Ellison is another under-appreciated little gem. It’s insane, but sharp, and influenced a ton of things we take for granted in science fiction.
Or maybe the Burroughs genius story Naked Lunch, which is one of my favorite works of all time, even despite having a “non-ending ending” that kind of just unravels… I guess that’s my official pick, mainly because I’d like to take a crack at giving it a cleaner ending without anyone being able to criticize me for ruining a classic.