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The Contortionist's Handbook
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Plot Summary of The Contortionist's Handbook
"John Vincent Dolan was his name originally. Since he turned 16, it's changed numerous times. Johnny, as he was once called, has suffered from migraines for years. Doctors don't believe him. He tracks down his own medication, then he overdoses when the pain strikes. To avoid the institution that he was put in as an 'odd' child, he changes identities to ensure that his medical history doesn't come up the next time he winds up in the hospital. A cocaine addict, forger, and former juvie hall inmate, John Vincent Dolan tells the tale of his life in flashbacks while he dances his way through his latest psych evaluation."
sarrah, Resident Scholar

Review Analysis of The Contortionist's Handbook
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Tone of book? - thoughtful
Time/era of story - 1980's-1999
Kids growing up/acting up? Yes
Is this an adult or child's book? - Adult or Young Adult Book
Age group of kid(s) in story: - grade school
Something wrong upstairs/downstairs? - mental illness
Parents/lack of parents problem? - Momma gone
Wild kid(s)? - committing crimes

Main Character
Gender - Male
Age: - 20's-30's
Eccentric/Mental Yes
Eccentric: - eccentric - obsessed - emotionally unstable
Ethnicity/Nationality - White (American)
How sensitive is this character? - middling sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Very much smarter than other characters
Physique - druggie/wino disease

Main Adversary
Identity: - society
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in: - a substantial amount

Setting
United States Yes
The US: - West
City? Yes
City: - dirty, grimy (like New York) - rude people
Misc setting - prison

Style
Person - mostly 1st
Accounts of torture and death? - generic/vague references to death/punishment
Sex in book? Yes
What kind of sex: - vague references - descript of kissing - lesbians! - actual description of hetero sex
Lot of foul language? Yes
Unusual Style: - a lot of flashback and forwards - a lot of stream of consciousness
Amount of dialog - little dialog
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