The Amnesia Clinic

James Scudamore is one of those little brats that you hate ... just 30 years old, and has written his first novel The Amnesia Clinic, which is absolutely fantastic. Of course I'm happy that it is fantastic because it means that I thoroughly enjoyed it, but I'm also jealous as shit that someone could write such a brilliant piece of fiction as his first novel ... isn't your first novel supposed to be ok, maybe even a little thought-provoking, but just crappy enough that there is always room for improvement? Anyways, The Amnesia Clinic is about storytelling and the friendship of two teen boys, and is set in Ecuador. I have read more than a few books set in South America since travelling there in 2003, but this one gave me shivers as the sights, sounds, and even personalities of the characters brought to mind memories of my travels - descriptions of rain, of salted banana chips, or exotic fruit juices - it's all there, and written beautifully. Set in 1995, shortly after the body of Juanita, the Inca Ice Princess was discovered in Peru (and is now housed in a museum in Arequipa), the two boys set off to make a name for themselves, and in doing so one of their lives in cut tragically short (which is no surprise, as the death is introduced in the first few pages). Bound and determined to find an Amnesia Clinic that does not even exist (in which one of the boys is convinced his long-disappeared mother may be living), the boys set off on a journey to the Isla del Plata (a smaller version of Galapagos) and have many adventures along the way. But while the events are captivating, hilarious and depressing, the real treasure is the way the story is told - in a Life of Pi sense, it's all about storytelling; how you tell the story is more important than the actual truth of the story being told. What else can I say - it's great, so read it!