Finn

A Novel

By: Jon Clinch

Narrated by: Ed Sala

Length: 11 hrs and 37 mins

Publisher's summary

One hundred and twenty years ago, Mark Twain left Huckleberry Finn’s father dead in a room crowded with oddities: a wooden leg, women’s underclothing, two black cloth masks, and more. Now, in a resonant and remarkable new novel, Jon Clinch tells the story of how the brutal and explosive Finn met his end in a room jammed with the telltale artifacts of his strange and mysterious life.

Along the way, Clinch introduces the listener to a mesmerizing cast of characters: Finn’s own fearsome father, known only as the Judge; Finn’s brother, the sickly, sycophantic Will; the hermit Bliss, a blind moonshiner; the strong and quick-witted Mary, a former slave who becomes Finn’s mistress; and, of course, young Huck himself.

Finn is a novel about race, the sin of slavery, and the burdens of paternity. Written in a style both precise and thunderous, understated and violently elemental, it draws from our literary heritage to create something new. Finn is a hypnotic, completely original, distinctive American story.

©2007 Jon Clinch (P)2007 Recorded Books, LLC

Remarkable!

An amazing origin story for Huck's Pap and by extension Huck himself. The language and psychology both powerfully and eloquently shed light on Finn's monstrosity through his human frailties.

Gut wrenching story line.

The prequel makes perfect sense. Mark Twain left a lot of clues in original book. Narration great job.

Finn brought to life in Clinch's homage to Twain.

Where does Finn rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I would say that it ranks in the top 5 audiobooks that I have listened to over the years. The book is well written and the narration by Ed Sala is pitch perfect.

What did you like best about this story?

The story allowed a glimpse at the humanity present in even the most dispicable of men. I even allowed for a bit of compassion for a monster, with few if any redeeming qualities.

Which character – as performed by Ed Sala – was your favorite?

I like the fire and intelligence of Mary. Her love for Huck and her ambition for him to better himself, redeems Huck from repeating the life and sins of the father, Pap Finn.

Who was the most memorable character of Finn and why?

Perhaps the most memorable charactor was, the dried up old husk
of the Widow Douglas. She is coniving and self important, and yet at the same time being torn between convention and compassion
when it come right down to it.

Perfect

The pacing of the narrator, the finely constructed plot, the elaboration on an infamous minor character from a beloved classic, the descriptions of river life, the complexity of race and character, the Cormac and Faulknerian prose--a damn perfect audiobook, in my humble opinion.