Penguin Books

I Am Clarence - Elaine Kraf

A haunting novel exploring a mother's fierce love for her disabled son as she grapples with her own mental health, by the author of the feminist cult classic The Princess of 72nd Street 'Funny, disarming and frequently ruthless' The New York Times Clarence cannot see very well. He has seizures. He knows the word 'tangerine' but has forgotten the word 'Mommy'. For Clarence's mother, life revolves around her young son; she takes him to see specialists, protects him from the cruelty of other children, loves him fiercely. But she has her own struggles. Her sanity is precarious and fractured. When her mental health reaches breaking point, she is forced to decide between Clarence's well-being and her own. Told through bright fragments of memories, I Am Clarence is a piercing journey into one woman's mind, which asks, how much can a mother sacrifice for her child, and survive? With an introduction by Sarah Manguso.

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