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Due to a stroke, Clive Parisi lost his short-term memory. He can remember things that happened fifty years ago, but he can’t remember if he had lunch a few short hours ago—not unless he writes it down in his journal, where he can refer back to it when needed, which is all of the time.
Not wanting to spend the rest of his life in a nursing home or become a burden to his daughter, Arlene, Clive runs away. While headed to see an old war buddy, he paints pictures along his route. Scenes from his past come to life, as do new experiences he paints on his journey. He soon becomes a successful artist—one whom no one seems to be able to locate.
Arlene is frantic to find her father. He’s not well, and his faulty memory could get him into some serious trouble. She chases him across the United States, only to be told at each new sighting that she’d missed him by a day or two. Her relationships begin to suffer as she becomes obsessed with finding him. Thinking she knows what’s best for him, she’s determined to bring him home.
The Nursing Home Fugitive is a strange but unique tale, populated with quirky characters, such as Elijah, the homeless prophet, and a funeral home director named Langston Dukane, who has a weird fetish involving unclaimed bodies that he makes into works of art.
Sprinkled throughout the novel are creative rewrites of the Beatitudes. Some readers might find something like that offensive, but I found them clever and humorous and not at all crude. I sensed it was done with light heartiness and not meant to offend.
Certain aspects of the story don’t always add up. For instance, you might wonder how Clive can remember he even has a journal, since it wasn’t a part of his distant past. But the story is so entertaining that you’ll brush the inconsistencies aside.
I was completely drawn into this bizarre voyage, eagerly waiting to see where Clive’s journey might take him next—and what new and peculiar character he might meet along the way. If you want a taste of something totally fresh and off-the-wall, The Nursing Home Fugitive is a book that I highly recommend.
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