Clifford

This profound and beautifully crafted book by Harold Johnson is a tribute to his older brother, Clifford, following his funeral in a northern Indigenous community. It masterfully weaves together memoir, fiction, and fantasy, as the author delves into his family's past, recalling his Cree mother, Swedish father, and Clifford's early fascination with the cosmos. The narrative reimagines Clifford as the brilliant scientist he might have become, exploring themes of loss, memory, cultural heritage, and the boundless potential of a life cut short. It's a deeply emotional, thought-provoking read for older children and young adults, offering a unique perspective on grief and family bonds.

From the bestselling author of Firewater comes a moving tribute to an older brother that traverses the thresholds of memoir, fiction, and fantasy and reimagines what could have been. When Harold Johnson returns to his childhood home in a northern Indigenous community for his brother Clifford’s funeral, the first thing his eyes fall on is a chair. It stands on three legs, the fourth broken off and missing. So begins a journey through the past, a retrieval of recollections of his silent, powerful Swedish father; his formidable Cree mother; and his brother Clifford, a precocious young boy who is drawn to the mysterious workings of the universe. As the night unfolds, memories of Clifford surface in Harold’s mind’s eye. Memory, fiction, and fantasy collide, and Clifford comes to life as the scientist he was meant to be, culminating in his discovery of the Grand Unified Theory. Exquisitely crafted, funny, visionary, and wholly moving, Clifford is an extraordinary work that embraces myriad forms of storytelling. To read it is to be immersed in a home, a family, a community, the wider world, the entire cosmos.