Kings of the Earth

Starred review from May 10, 2010
In Clinch’s multilayered, pastoral second novel (after Finn), a death among three elderly, illiterate brothers living together on an upstate New York farm raises suspicions and accusations in the surrounding community. After their beloved mother, Ruth, dies, Audie, considered mentally "fragile," is devastated, but goes on tending to the Carversville farm with his brothers Vernon and Creed. When Vernon, frail at 60 and not under a doctor’s care, dies in his bed with evidence of asphyxiation, Creed is interrogated by troopers, along with Audie, the brother closest to Vernon. Family histories and troubles are divulged in short chapters by a cacophony of characters speaking in first person. Secrets and hidden alliances are revealed: Vernon’s nephew, Tom, grew and sold marijuana, which the family used medicinally; the brothers endured painful, bloody haircuts administered by their father. Alongside the police troopers’ investigation, each player contributes his own personal perspectives and motivations, including allusions to homosexual behavior. Inspired by the Ward brothers (of the 1992 documentary My Brother’s Keeper), Clinch explores family dynamics in this quiet storm of a novel that will stun readers with its power.

April 1, 2010
Three brothers share one bed…all their lives.

Clinch's second novel spans 60 years but begins at the end, in 1990. Vernon, Audie and Creed Proctor are dairy farmers in upstate New York. Old man Audie, mentally challenged, wakes to find Vernon dead but the bed dry (Vernon was a bedwetter). Creed reports the death, which is deemed suspicious. The urine-soaked mattress is impounded. Might Creed have smothered his brother? The police force a dubious confession from the barely literate Creed. Clinch has incorporated some elements of the 1990 Delbert Ward case, just as E.L. Doctorow used the Collyer brothers, the Proctors' urban counterparts, for his 2009 novel Homer and Langley. Real life supplied a legal resolution in the Ward case. Not so here. Clinch shuffles time periods as he did in his debut Finn (2007), which featured the monstrous Pap. Lester Proctor, the boys' father, is almost as evil. A mean drunk, he takes the boys on a fishing expedition and almost drowns Vernon through his negligence. Another time he has Vernon cut off his damaged finger. He regrets he hasn't killed Audie, the"idiot child." Facing such brutality, it's no wonder the boys huddle together protectively. Lester dies young in a mule-and-wagon accident; their beloved mother dies of cancer; little sister Donna gets out fast. The brothers keep the farm going, quaint figures from an earlier time. But don't get misty-eyed; they're caked in dung and smell terrible. Clinch uses various voices and viewpoints for his group portrait. The brothers are seen as ants, Okies or cavemen (but never kings). Walking a fine line, not wanting us to dismiss them as freaks, Clinch uses their neighbor Preston to anchor the novel. A kindly soul, Preston respects their willingness to endure. A secondary story line, involving their nephew Tom, a marijuana grower and dealer, is a mistake, distracting us from the sad riddle of the Proctor boys.

A journey into the dark that's more titillating then illuminating.

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Starred review from April 15, 2010
This is a gritty but nonetheless warm-hearted and beautifully realized novel about three old unmarried brothers who live together on a rundown dairy farm in upstate New York. They are modeled after the real-life Ward brothers from Munnsville, NY, who are featured in the documentary "Brother's Keeper". Clinch ("Finn") has brought these men and their world vividly to life. It's hard not to like Vernon, Audie, and Creed Proctor. They smell like manure, they aren't particularly talkative, and the world has clearly passed them bybut they do their work without complaint, suffer setbacks and tragedy graciously, and are unfailingly courteous and humble. They are very good at working their farm and minding their own business, but things turn tragic when Vernon dies in his sleep and Creed is taken in by the police on suspicion of murder. Clinch addresses one of Faulkner's favorite themes in this novelour ability to endureand explores it in ways that are inspiring and poignant. VERDICT Enthusiastically recommended for readers of literary fiction. [See Prepub Alert, "LJ" 2/15/10.]Patrick Sullivan, Manchester Community Coll., CT

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