''Dermaphoria'' (2005) is a novel written by American author

Craig Clevenger Craig Clevenger (born 1964) is an American author of contemporary fiction. Born 1964 in Dallas, Texas, he grew up in Southern California, where he studied English at California State University, Long Beach. He is the author of there novels, '' ...

Plot summary

Eric Ashworth awakens in jail, unable to remember how he got there or why. All he does remember is a woman's name: Desiree. Bailed out and holed up in a low rent motel, Eric finds the solution to his

amnesia Amnesia is a deficit in memory caused by brain damage or disease,Gazzaniga, M., Ivry, R., & Mangun, G. (2009) Cognitive Neuroscience: The biology of the mind. New York: W.W. Norton & Company. but it can also be caused temporarily by the use ...

in a strange new

hallucinogen Hallucinogens are a large, diverse class of psychoactive drugs that can produce altered states of consciousness characterized by major alterations in thought, mood, and perception as well as other changes. Most hallucinogens can be categorized ...

. By synthesizing the sense of touch, the drug produces a disjointed series of sensations that slowly allow Eric to remember his former life as a clandestine chemist. With steadily increasing doses, Eric reassembles his past at the expense of his grip on the present, and his distinction between truth and fantasy crumbles as his paranoia grows in tandem with his tolerance.

Characters

* Eric Ashworth * Desiree * Manhattan White * Toe Tag * Hoyle * Otto * Detective Anslinger * Jack and the Beanstalk

Reviews

Woozy memories of a drugmaker - June Sawyers - San Francisco Chronicle

You are what you read - Ben Popper - Memphis Flyer Online

Dermaphoria - Thomas Scott McKenzie - PopMatters

Trivia

Room 621, the room Eric Ashworth rents is also the room number belonging to

Barton Fink ''Barton Fink'' is a 1991 American historical drama, period black comedy psychological thriller film written, produced, edited and directed by the Coen brothers. Set in 1941, it stars John Turturro in the title role as a young New York City play ...

in the

Coen Brothers Joel Daniel Coen (born November 29, 1954) and Ethan Jesse Coen (born September 21, 1957),State of Minnesota. ''Minnesota Birth Index, 1935–2002''. Minnesota Department of Health. collectively known as the Coen brothers (), are American film ...

' movie of the same name.

Film Adaptation

The book was adapted into a film, which premiered on June 13, 2014 at the

East End Film Festival The East End Film Festival was one of the UK's largest film festivals. It ceased all operations on 4 March 2020. The owner, Alison Poltock, explained that "the push to provide a more mainstream commercial offering is not for us." Founded in 200 ...

. It was directed by Ross Clarke and starred Joseph Morgan,

Ron Perlman Ronald Perlman (born April 13, 1950) is an American actor. His credits include the roles of Amoukar in '' Quest for Fire'' (1981), Salvatore in ''The Name of the Rose'' (1986), Vincent in the television series ''Beauty and the Beast'' (1987–19 ...

, Kate Walsh, and

Walton Goggins Walton Sanders Goggins Jr. (born November 10, 1971) is an American actor. He has starred in a number of television series, including '' The Shield'' (2002–2008), '' Justified'' (2010–2015), '' Vice Principals'' (2016–2017), '' The Righteo ...

.''Dermaphoria''
Production Design by John Richoux. The film was produced by Teryn Fogel and Ross Clarke in association with their production company Keep The Car Running. Internet Movie Database, accessed 7 July 2013.

U.S. editions

MacAdam/Cage Publishing MacAdam/Cage was a small publishing firm located in San Francisco, California. It was founded by publisher David Poindexter in 1998. In 2003, it published around 30 to 45 titles per year, primarily fiction, short story collections, history, biogr ...

, October 2005. Paperback Edition. *

, September 2006. Paperback Edition.

References

External links

Official site of movie based on Dermaphoria novel

Official site of Craig Clevenger

Official online community of Craig Clevenger, Will Christopher Baer, and Stephen Graham JonesPete's Candy Store Reading
(Dermaphoria Tour) 2005 American novels MacAdam/Cage books {{2000s-novel-stub