Part Proustian memoir, part recovery narrative, Michael Clune‘s White Out (2013) was gifted to me due to its similarity in topic and tone to Denis Johnson‘s masterful short-story collection Jesus’ Son.
There is a struggle at the center of many recovery narratives, where they are most engaging at their most destructive: what addicts do in service of their addiction is often more compelling than their recovery. This is true of White Out, but Clune’s startling skill as a writer provides additional layers of insight that carry the narrative beyond the (successful and not) capers that occur in pursuit of the next high during his years balancing graduate school and serious addiction.
Perhaps the strongest part of White Out is Clune’s ability to describe the absolute iron will of addiction, they operational logic that drove him to, without question, act in ways that were clearly neither in his best interest nor particularly likely to succeed.
In this, there is certainly a similarity to Jesus’ Son, but I would say, other than the specific topic at hand, the gap between fiction and memoir keeps the two works very far apart.
Again and again, the star of the show in White Out is Clune’s command of language, and the creativity and lyricism of his writing shines throughout. Clune’s writing is simultaneously poetic, direct, and evocative, a very hard combination to pull off, especially in a memoir, without feeling forced or performative. He does it, and it comes as no surprise that, after his recovery, he completed graduate school and moved on to teach English and creative writing.
The topic, and Clune’s experiences, aren’t for everyone. But if this piques your interest, you’ll enjoy it.
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