An Arsonist's Guide to Writers' Homes in New England - Brock Clarke

As a teenager, the narrator Sam, accidentally burns down Emily Dickinson's home. He spends 10 years in prison where he meets some shady bond traders, and is then released to become a productive member of society. He goes to college and finds his niche as a packing engineer. He finds a wife and has a couple kids, all the while suppressing the truth of his criminal history. But, he can't seem to escape his past, especially once his father reveals that while in prison, Sam received tons of letters asking him to burn down the family homes of other well known New England writers. As these houses start burning one by one, Sam is the number one suspect, and the only way to prove his innocence is to discover that he's not the only one in his family hiding secrets. I'd heard from a couple other reader friends that they wanted to like this book, but just couldn't get into it. I've been having trouble the past few weeks finding books that make me want to keep reading, but, I found myself quickly finding the rhythym of Clarke's writing and really enjoying the narrator's off-the-wall humor and somewhat defeatist attitude. This is a clever plot, with a few strange twists here and there, but if you don't like the writing style after 20 pages, definitely give up.