#702 Clarence and the Dead- Randall Kenan
Clarence and the Dead is the first story in the acclaimed Randall Kenan collection, Let the Dead Bury Their Dead. I imagine, judging by those titles, there will be some dead people involved in this book. This is my first time reading Kenan.
When Clarence was born, two things happened: his mother immediately died, and Wilma Jones’ prize hog began to speak, at least according to her. When Clarence died five years later, the town would be relived to be done with a very confusing time in their history, and Wilma Jones’ hog would stop talking the very same day—again, according to her.
It took Clarence three whole years before he spoke his first word. From then on out, he often spoke the words of the dead. They told him things that were happening to their loved ones, and things that were going to happen to their loved ones. He knew when people were going to die, and who was planning to hurt whom. This clairvoyance spooked most of the town, and attracted some undesirable characters seeking the child’s wisdom.
I’m not sure what to make of this story. On one level it’s entertaining, but also a bit scattered and—I don’t know—some of it just didn’t work for me. Especially the talking pig we don’t ever see talking. Something obviously slipped past me, I’m not sure what a talking pig is supposed to add to the story. A kid with ESP by itself would have been essentially the same story. Maybe I’ll give it another read, because I’m definitely missing something.
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