Bozo.  Ronald McDonald.  Krusty.  Pennywise.

Clowns are iconic in America and whether they are benevolent, corporate, lewd, or utterly evil, most people would agree that clowns are creepy in any form.  Fellow liar Barak has been known to break out in a cold sweat at the scent of face paint or the sound of a honking horn.  As a result, I’m always keeping an eye out for prime clown material to dangle his way.  Elliot’s award-winning Australian novel immediately piqued my interest.

The main character, Jamie, is a bit of what my father would term a “schlub”, an Aussie in his late 20’s who is drifting along in a dead-end job with no goals, a boring social life, and annoying roommates who steal his groceries. Through the simple misfortune of being in the wrong place at the wrong time, Jamie manages to get tabbed as the latest recruit to join a troupe of clowns in a interdimensional circus that robs “tricks” of their souls and may have had a hand in causing the Holocaust.

Jamie is not all that interested, but he doesn’t have much of a choice, and when he puts on the face paint, his alter ego, JJ, turns out to be a truly sadistic and qualified candidate for the circus. Through the rest of the novel, Jamie and JJ take turns as the dominant personality amid run-ins with acrobats, sideshow freaks, carnies, fortunetellers and his fellow clowns.

If clowns give you the heebie-jeebies, pick this gem up and read it to the sound of a calliope on an endless loop.  I assure you.  You’ll wake up screaming.

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