James Clammer

James Clammer’s engrossing novel, Insignificance, takes place over the course of 24 fraught hours in the life of Joseph Forbes, a plumber, father of Edward and husband to Alison. Before eight o’clock in the morning, in the midst of a punishing heat wave, Joseph arrives at the home of Amanda Margaret Hollander, a close friend of his wife. His mission: to replace the water heater in the upstairs bathroom. But Joseph is not quite himself, only just recovering from a vaguely described spell of mental exhaustion that has kept him out of action for several months. This is his first day back at work, and he suspects the assignment was cooked up by Alison and Amanda to nudge him back into the real world. Is he up to the job? He’s not sure but forges ahead in the hope that he hasn’t lost his touch. Inevitably, the job turns out to be more complicated than he thought, and his work is slowed when he suffers a cut on his finger and another on his thumb. But Joseph’s day is about to get a lot worse. Clammer’s narrative resides mostly in Joseph’s mind, and Joseph’s mind is awash in doubt, anxiety and guilt. About seven years earlier, Edward, 18 at the time and suffering delusions, tried to poison his mother. For this offense Edward was dispatched to prison and Joseph was left to nurse Alison back to health. But it was all too much, and by the time Alison was fit enough to return to work, Joseph suffered a breakdown. Joseph, not surprisingly, regrets keenly the unfortunate turn events took, constantly second-guessing himself and wondering if he might have done something to prevent the situation with Edward from escalating. Another pressure point for Joseph is his marriage: specifically, the emotional void that has opened between him and his wife. During her recovery, Alison became involved with a Christian group, and under their influence her pious tendencies grew into devoutness, and later in the story when the narrative shifts to her perspective, we learn that she is considering leaving her husband in order to devote herself to the service of God. Meanwhile, back at the house, Joseph, sensing the onset of a migraine caused by the heat, is struggling to finish up with Amanda’s water heater when Edward, recently paroled, shows up out of the blue asking for money. The writing is dense; Clammer immerses the reader in the minutae of Joseph’s thoughts and actions (and, for a time, Alison’s). The story begins with a mundane event (the plumber arrives at the job site), but there are early hints that all is not well when Joseph indulges in fantasies of a sexual fling with Amanda. Clammer builds the tension slowly, doling out details about the past one by one until the ruins of Joseph’s life are laid bare, his day has spiraled out of control, and we witness him stray from a rational path and show himself to be unequal to the problems that plague him. The author crams a lot into this compact but thoroughly engaging narrative. James Clammer’s novel of one man’s struggle to make sense of life and love is gripping and poignant.… (mere)

Thanks to the author and publisher for an advanced copy to review; all opinions are my own.

A really good premise that could have been well served by the overwrought stream-of-consciousness, but not only is it mundane, it's not as effective as it should be. The writing style doesn't lend itself to excitement, so when I learn something big like(for instance) Joseph's wife believes their son is a demon and wants to become a nun, I'm not shocked or horrified, I'm a little bored and hoping it'll speed up.

I can tell what it wants to be: a deep dive into the life of an average plumber who's experienced deep tragedy and loneliness; but it can't decide if it wants to focus on the "average plumber" part or the "deep tragedy" (which, while maybe not unbelievable, is unrelatable and thus hurt the "average plumber" premise deeply) and this lack of focus hurts the whole story (especially the 1) mostly pointless diversions into Joesph's wife's mind and 2) the multiple mysterious and totally unexplained elements (thinning skin, the foreign weapon) --) for such a small novella it lacks a tight focus.… (mere)

Plumbing the Depths
Review of the Galley Beggar Press black cover limited edition (May, 2021)

Insignificance was a compelling read due to its gradual pacing that slowly reveals the background to the various torments of a father, mother and son, each of whom are dealing with a different mental health issue. Plumber Joseph is making a slow start back to work after a depression / breakdown caused by the son's poisoning attack on the mother. The mother is drifting into a religious fanaticism which may cause her to run off into missionary work. The son is on prison release and may be in some sort of business association with a rare weapons & artefacts dealer (or it may be a scam).

From its simple beginnings with a rather detailed description of a plumbing job (the author has worked in the business in the past) there is already an insidious edge revealed as Joseph lusts after his wife's girlfriend for whom he is doing the work. He daydreams of a possible affair while going through the mechanics of the labour. There is interference from a neighbour and other events, including a meeting with the son, which intrude upon his day. Eventually he makes his way back home in the evening. Although was in the experimental stream-of-consciousness / long paragraph style (admittedly sometimes a chore to get through), I found it to have a great amount of dramatic tension which kept me engaged throughout.

I read Insignificance in its limited edition release available to supporters of the Galley Beggar Press' Galley Buddy subscription program.

Trivia and Link
Insignificance is told over the course of a 24-hour day, and is thus a so-called "circadian" novel. Author James Clammer assembled a list of Top 10 Novels Told in a Single Day.… (mere)