Finn: A Novel

Clinch manages to create a thoughtful, well-crafted tale that centers around Huck's drunken father, known simply as Finn. Artfully told, yet true to the beloved classic.

About this time last year, I was looking for titles to pitch to my book club and came across Finn. I can't remember where I saw it, but it was a staff pick at one of the indie stores. The staffer had a lot of good things to say about it, but I was skeptical. I was intrigued by the premise, but doubtful. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a timeless classic so I wasn't interested in reading anything that would taint my memory of it. However, if the author chose to build upon it.well, that I could see. That's exactly what Jon Clinch does.

Here's a passage from The Adventure's of Huckleberry Finn as said, by Jim:

It's a dead man. Yes, indeedy; naked too. He's ben shot in de back. I reck'n he's ben dead two er three days. Come in, Huck but doan' look at his face-it's too gashly.

The actual passage is quite a bit longer, but Clinch takes that passage and fills in the details to create Finn, which in and of itself, is its own story. Admittedly, the first half of the book is a bit monotonous. Finn is a simple man on the surface. He spends most of his day fishing, only to trade his catch for whiskey later. The daily routine of a drunkard can be a tad repetitive but in sharing this with us, Clinch gives us a feel for who Finn is. In between these drunken episodes, there are moments of clarity. Moments where Finn shows compassion, or pity.or even intelligence but there are also moments of pure hatred and viciousness. His behavior is almost animal-like in nature, and he is brutal at times.

As for his relationship with son, Huck.there is love there, but there is also a "what can he do for me?" attitude which is brought to our attention early on. Finn's strength is the ability to immediately assess a situation, to determine what's in it for him. This rings true for his interactions with several of other characters as well, and there are many wonderful characters in this novel. Finn takes from each of them, what he needs at that exact moment.

Although Clinch remains true to the classic, he does take some liberties with Huck as we know him. I wasn't sure how I felt about them, but by the end of the story, it all felt right to me.

As far as the actual writing, the story is told out-of-order, and as the story progresses, the pace quickens and each chapter becomes shorter in length. This format was incredibly effective and had me eagerly turning each page to see how the story ended. As the days pass, I find myself thinking about the complexity of such a story and how Clinch managed to pull it off.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

A reviewer

Clinch is an English Teacher's dream student. I have not read a book this enjoyable in years. His descriptions of the Mississippi and its environs are so descriptive. You can smell the fish. The characters are so easy to imagine in the minds eye. The reader has no idea where the story is going. Great read!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Finn

Ever wonder what might have happened that cause Huck Finn's pap death, from the novel by Mark Twain? Now your wait is over. In this amazing tale by Jon Clinch named Finn. The main character being Huck's dad Finn. Throughout this novel Clinch is able to create Finn through his own point of view. Much like Huckleberry Finn Clinch writes about Finn's journey in life. Such as the struggle he went through, the adventures, problems with alcohol, and Finn's way of raising Huck. In Finn's adventures he faces much trouble with the law and much more. He also has many problems with his dad and "wife" with having disagreements. Finally, the death of Finn was very unexpected but expected at the same time. Who was his mystery murder? Reading Finn by Jon Clinch will astonish you, and will get very interesting. Clinch sets the novel in the 1800 when slaves and black were inferior to whites. A very interesting time period that Clinch's chooses, because it helps add more drama and suspense to the reading Clinch accomplishes all this by his descriptive words and images that make you feel like you were really there. Which increases theme of death and abusive relationship. In the end Jon Clinch wrote a great novel to bring Finn's character come out. I recommend this novel to all.

This is an incredible book!

I loved this book, though it is often disturbing. Mr. Clinch does Mr. Twain justice, in recomposing a wonderful, classic tale. The characters are gritty, the landscape so real and the dialogue (or lack there of) is brilliant. This book is not for everyone, but I think the ravenous reader will really appreciate this work of art.

A reviewer

Just the writing itself is delicious, refreshingly literary. On top of that, the layers Clinch has added to Huck Finn's story are amazing, and he keeps it plausible, albeit challenging perhaps because of what we have been conditioned to think. Huck remains himself and is explained-not directly, but through circumstances. Pap himself is very complex, I found myself rooting for him to keep it together at times. Excellent, believable characters, mood, description, reactions of characters to events, yet much of the power of this book lies it what is left unsaid. A book for real readers. Might have blown Mark Twain's socks off. Must, must read!

Masterfully written debut novel reaches lofty heights

In a time when we are surrounded by shallow thinking and weak ideas from the leaders of our country to the people that control the entertainment industry, whose big ideas come from cartoons and comic books, this skillfully written debut novel from Jon Clinch seems to have slipped through the static and will surely rise to the top. FINN is a masterfully written, in-depth study of the complexity of the human condition. Clinch ingeniously uses the clues from TwainÕs masterpiece to flesh out the dark, brutal tale of Pap Finn. Clinch stands on the shoulders of Mark Twain and reaches lofty heights. Twain would have been proud.

A reviewer

...the author is implying that Huckleberry Finn was a mulatto. That may rattle some Twain purists, but it sure would explain Huck's tolerance that was unheard of in that era. I could understand the readers confusion because you have to be paying attention with this novel. The timelines jump around in a Tarantino- like manner and I'm still debating whether that enhances or detracts from the story. Also the dialogue could be vague as most characters conversed at length in muted one or two word phrases. This trend occured whether the speaker was an uneducated rube like the title character, or the local magistrate. Perhaps that was also part of the authors intent as I feel that one of the underlying themes of this book was that evil is not necessarily limited to Finn himself. All in all I'm glad I read this book. It's quite a page turner and I finished it quickly.

Mark Twain Lives

Mark Twain may be dead, but new author Jon Clinch brings him back to life in Finn. The main character is Pa Finn, Huck's father, and what a character he is. Clinch creates a dark,twisted and evil man who sheds light on the America of 1850. A great read!

The Mysteries of the Mississippi

Clinch takes us back to the Mississippi and the days of Huck Finn - and before. I feel myself there - with the thick Mississippi mud hanging heavy at my feet - experincing it all. Of all things - we learn about his family. Dark - Original - I found myself wanting more. Let's hope Clinch doesn't stop here. Very well done.

A great novel

Jon Clinch's debut novel hits the mark. It is ambitious, enthralling, literate and exceptionally readable. I couldn't put it down. You don't need to have any knowledge of Twain's Huck Finn to enjoy this book. When I reread Huck Finn, however, what struck me was how much better Clinch's writing is than Twain's. This is a great book.

Fabulous

There simply aren't enough superlatives to describe Jon Clinch's FINN. The story is marvelous. The characters are wonderfully depicted, and the prose is an absolute delight. I LOVED this book!

Finn is FINNTASTIC

This is a must read. As a debut novel - I am so excited to see what Jon Clinch writes in the years to come! I was pulled into this American story from page one. Well done.

Magnificent

Clinch's debut is not only beautifully written, it's mesmerizing, its concept as brilliant as the author's execution. A haunting masterpiece that will stay with you long after you've finished the last page.

Masterful-- a 6 Star Book!

An incredible must-read book that will sweep you up off your feet and straight down the Mississippi River. You don't need to have read Huckleberry Finn recently to enjoy this book because it stands on its own-- I couldn't remember the Twain classic very well, and I didn't feel that I missed it at all. But I did want to pick up the Twain and reread it when I got to the end of Finn, because I just didn't want the experience to end. I was mesmerized by this book and couldn't stop thinking about it afterwards. The breadth of insight, compassion, and humanity that the author showed for his characters is rare indeed in contemporary fiction. An instant classic.

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