The Worthy {A Ghost's Story}: Amazon.ca: Will Clarke: Books

Product Description

From Publishers Weekly

Clarke's novel, subtitled "A Ghost's Story," is a winning comedy of collegiate (bad) manners, set at Louisiana State University. The narrator, an affluent frat boy named Conrad Avery Sutton III, tells us right off that he's dead, murdered by fellow Gamma Chi Ryan Hutchins, a psychotic hiding behind a charming Big-Man-on-Campus veneer. Conrad makes it his afterlife's work to bring cocky Ryan down, with the help of the frat house's salty cook, "crazy" Miss Etta. She knows Conrad is still on Earth to protect hapless fraternity pledge Tucker Graham, who, like most of the world, sees Ryan as "a big, bright, rising star." It sounds a little like a sitcom, albeit an edgy one, but Clarke fashions a hilariously addictive yarn, with crackling prose and sharp observations that consistently entertain and surprise. He drives the plot over the top with portraits of hypocritical religious fanatics and unrestrained party animals, and into baby Grand Guignol territory with a swath of outlandish killings—but it all works as black farce of a high degree. (July)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

If the movies Animal House and Ghost got married, this novel is what their offspring might look like. The narrator, Conrad Avery Sutton III, had it all, including a bid to join Louisiana State's most desirable fraternity. Then a hazing prank went horribly wrong, and Conrad was killed. Now he's a ghost with only one thing on his mind: revenge against the fraternity chapter president who's responsible for his death. The novel somehow manages to be lightly comic and darkly dramatic at the same time. It's a clever commentary on the whole frat scene, as well as an evocative exploration of some of the practical realities of being a ghost. Lots of fun, from the zany author of the cult favorite Lord Vishnu's Love Handles (2005). David Pitt
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Customer Reviews

10 Reviews

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4.7 out of 5 stars (10 customer reviews)

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5.0 out of 5 stars I smell a movie!, April 1 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: The Worthy {A Ghost's Story} (Paperback)

Conrad Sutton is a heck of a ghost. I could almost smell his Abercrombie and Fitch cologne lingering around me when I was reading this book.

THE WORTHY is one of the saddest, funniest, bittersweet books I have ever read. It was so good that when I finished it the first time, I read it again because I wasn't ready to say goodbye to Conrad or Miss Etta or Sarah Jane or Maggie. The author paints Baton Rouge and Louisiana with with such a sexual and sweaty tinge.

And I know that a lot of people compare this "ghost's story" to THE LOVELY BONES, and it is similar in that both the narrators are dead, but that's where the similarities end. THE WORTHY delves into a 19 year old's soul (Granted that may not be very deep as most frat boys aren't the deepest souls -- even dead ones) Will Clarke spins a tale so beautiful and gothic that it's hard not to cry AND laugh out loud at the end. Something I never do. I am not a cryer! But some of Clarke's disarms you with his humor and then he throws an image at you that hits you right in heart.

THE WORTHY is worth a read or two or three. It's that good.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Oh, but The Worthy is..., Mar 28 2004

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"b_lyons" (Dallas, Texas United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Worthy {A Ghost's Story} (Paperback)

I first picked up a copy of The Worthy at BookSoup in Hollywood and a woman came up to me and went on and on about how her book club had read it and how much they all loved it.

I quickly put The Worthy down and walked away from it. I don't do book clubs.

And then a friend of mine at work kept going on and on about Will Clarke and that if I liked Fight Club then I would probably like his books.

So I reluctantly bought The Worthy. And to my surprise, I devoured it. The characters were so shiny and real. Conrad, the narrator, is such a fratboy. In fact, the entire cast of college students is so sad and funny and so full of life.

The Worthy just blew me away. So many quotable lines. And such a wonderful ending.

In fact, The Worthy is so good, that I have been converted; I'm starting a book club. The only deal is we're only reading Will Clarke's books.

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2.0 out of 5 stars The Worthy isn't., Mar 15 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: The Worthy {A Ghost's Story} (Paperback)

The Worthy isn't.
What if you fused The Lovely Bones, and the movies Animal House and Ghost together. You would get The Worthy, Will Clarke's new novel about the disembodied spirit of a murdered LSU fraternity pledge. Like his first novel (Lord Vishnu's Love Handles, Middle Finger Press), The Worthy is full of Clarke's biting sarcasm, searing wit and unyielding eye for contemporary culture. He immerses you into the crazy world of fraternity hazing, with more keg parties, flatulence and sorority trysts, that even John Belushi's ghost would be pressed to keep up. But unlike his first book, The Worthy reads more like an extended short story than a fully flushed out novel. As the book's sub-title (A Ghost's Story) suggests, we follow the exploits of the murdered student, Conrad Avery Sutton, III, as he (or his spirit) seeks revenge on the psycho-smarmy leader of the Gamma Chi house, who broke his neck by shoving Sutton down the house's elaborate staircase (I won't get into why). I really wanted The Worthy to take off, but as I read through it, I found myself wanting more from the story than it could possibly deliver. Several characters were left undeveloped, the backstory was thin, and in the end, I was left not really liking any of the characters in this story of revenge and redemption. At 224 pages (and large type), The Worthy is a fairly quick read, so if you're looking for something to blast through on a plane flight, go ahead and give it a try. But if you're looking for a novel that you can spend some time with and sink your mind into, then I'd have to say that The Worthy isn't.

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Most recent customer reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars A dead teenager misses his life and can't move on
Murder victim Conrad Sutton is not cloud-sitting in heaven watching the world continue on without him. Read more

Published on Dec 5 2003 by Christine Phillips

5.0 out of 5 stars The best keeps getting better
Dealing with stupid client overages by day and writing stories like this by night, Will Clarke delivers as per usual. Read more

Published on Nov 4 2003 by whh