Caring for Your Clown Book One: Aliens are Real

by Oleander Blume

Oliver Tarsul is a mostly average 14-year-old kid; aside from being the unwilling roommate to an interdimensional space clown his step-father solicited to rebuild a portal designed by his recently deceased mother. Things are more than a little complicated. Regardless, dealing with a gelatinous slime monster in the shape of a clown girl named Dindet, while also trying to stay under the radar as the only trans kid in school, proves to be significantly harder than he imagined. But the fallout of his mother's supposed death didn't just bring into question what she was working on and who she was working with. It also brought along with it a part of Oliver's past that he'd rather just forget. His Biological Father.

234 pages, Paperback

Published December 2, 2021

Reviews

[Reads With Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

(Transparency: This review was commissioned by the author, however this does not at all affect my rating)

Solid 4 stars, and the audiobook narrator did a great job bringing this story to life. You can get the audiobook via audible.
This book is for fans of the movie Life Size. Yeah, the one us older millenials go nuts over with Lindsay Lohan and Tyra Banks. It has a similar premise, similar themes, and is just as endearing. Except, instead of being about a young girl who accidentally brings her doll to life while trying to resurrect her mom, its about a boy named Oliver who gets stuck with taking care of an alien not too long after the death of his mom. Shenanigans ensue, and while it's a charming story it's also quite emotional. Oliver is a trans boy dealing with a lot on his plate, including transphobia but also just being a kid who misses his mom dearly. I really appreciate the exploration here of grief and frustration through Oliver. The author really has a good grasp on how to write a kid this age well, understanding their perspectives and accurately depicting how a kid would deal in a situation where they get stuck with an alien clown, how they would act in a situation after losing a parent, etc.

But this book is also whimsical in its use of an alien clown, Dindet, who is at times child like but also other worldly. She's just an alien clown doing her best and trying to help and understand a kid who has been put in charge of her, a kid dealing with immense loss and grief. All while having little understanding of herself. Theres something very precious about the tentative friendship that blooms between them.

It is both due to the quality of writing and the quality of the audio narrator that this book really knows how to convey character voice and brings to life each individual character. No one was blending together for me, I understood each distinct person and their voice.

Light spoilers here: the depiction of abuse and transphobia from oliver's bio father was well written, i felt SO protective of Oliver and wanted to reach through the book and save him from his bio dad. On the flip side, i was so deeply appreciative of the conversations between oliver and his DAD dad, his adoptive stepfather, who told Oliver plainly, when Oliver was feeling unworthy of love that he was his son. That scene was visceral, it was raw, and I commend the author for writing a scene that so many people need to see played out on page and writing it well.

My only issue with this book from a craft perspective was there was some headhopping going on, where we would shift from the perspective of one character to another to another, without a scene break or chapter break. This can be frustrating because i forget whos feelings I'm supposed to be paying attention to.
My only issue with the audiobook production was the use of almost a static-like noise to convey when telepathy was occurring. This is a sensory thing for me, so it's purely subjective and likely will not bother other readers at all.

[Elisse Hay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh WOW. What a ride!

Good pacing, rich characters, humour and all of the feels. Highly recommend, especially if you enjoyed Steven Universe.

[Lucas Talmage · Rating 5 out of 5]

Detailed Character Development. A Science fiction Book with a Great story line, its like watching a movie. The characters have a great personality. One character is an alien clown that kinda seem like unreal but a twist of actually real with a gentle persona but could easily kill instantaneously but chooses not too. A punny thing to say about this book is. It's a "Goodreads".

[Tam tam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Caring for Your Clown is one of the most original books I’ve ever read in a colorful coming of age story of friendship and emotional growth. This book follows the story of a 14 year old trans boy with a chip on his shoulder, named Oliver. After loosing his mother in a mysterious science accident he is befriended— despite his best efforts not to be— by a clown named Dindette.

But Dindette is no ordinary clown. With personality traits reminiscent of Animaniacs and Mantis from Guardians of the Galaxy, Dindette has many wacky characteristics that will make you smile and hug the book. Learning this character is the biggest chunk of fun in this book. She has traveled inter-dimensionally, through space and time, to protect Oliver. And protection he does need.

While Oliver has lived with his step father for some three years and his life is finally starting to normalize with the support of his friends, his life is turned upside down in the worst possible way.

This book takes a very dark turn in the last bit. The best way I can describe it is going from Sorcerers Stone to Deathy Hallows in the same book, but without the characters having a chance to grow up first. It left me feeling emotional shaken. I would also compare the vibe to Stranger Things in that there are young kids going on a dangerous adventure and dealing with situations that shouldn’t have to deal with.

The ending leaves the door wide open, with his step fathers unfinished project, and an epilogue that will run to amazon for book 2 before you are even thinking about it. There are questions left unanswered in an intentional way,

The characters are all given their own distinct voice and very original and vibrant personalities. The head hopping was done very well in my opinion and I had no trouble following who I was with. You can envisioned what is happening as you read very vividly.

Check your trigger warnings. They’ll kick in in the very last bit of the book in a closed door way that still leaves you nauseated and furious. I would say it’s very worth reading the book and skipping the chapters that trigger you.

I bought this book for 3 friends as a Christmas gift before I was even finished with it, and book two can’t come in the mail fast enough. The cover is stunning. It is one of my favorite covers I have and has a matte finish.

[Margaret Adelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been trying to get into YA sci-fi (and I like strange things), so when the author offered me a review copy of this book, I was happy to accept!

The biggest struggle I had with this book was the pacing issue. Darker, trigger warnings-level issues are hinted through the first two thirds. But the tone for the majority of it is consistently lighter. The tone turning dark seems to happen rapidly and radically. While I started listening to it on audio book, I had to eventually switch to the text because I just wasn't comfortable hearing another human reading what was being said aloud. I'm honestly not sure how the transition could have been made less jarring, just that it was enough to affect my enjoyment of the story.

That being said, I did enjoy the story. Dindet is basically Pennywise in an uwu phase and I'm here for it. Even though I spent most of the story feeling badly for her, I loved the mechanics of how the interdimensional clown works and her whole innocent and friendly vibe. Oliver, by contrast, was much darker. Basically an asshole for most of the story. Yes, with good reason. And you gotta support queer characters getting to be messy. But more than once, I was asking why he wouldn't just let up on the poor clown. That's the point, though, so I didn't take off any stars.

The plot was a bit meandering. There was a vague "Thing" they were trying to accomplish, but since the details were wrapped up in vague science mechanics, the narrative didn't dwell on it for long. Still, I enjoyed the meandering as it was. Particularly the relationship between Jon and Oliver. This book does have one of my favorite ultra niche tropes: "book that's not horror suddenly becomes horror for the climactic scene." I need more scary Dindet in the sequels, is what I'm saying.

All in all, this is a great pick for people just getting into sci-fi. There are a plethora of trigger warnings to keep in mind as you go, including transphobia and child abuse, but there is a great story at heart. I look forward to the next one!

[Rachel Stine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating, beautiful, and weird

Aliens exist and Oliver has seen one. Has one following him around, acting weird, and destroying his social life. But this alien clown creature who calls herself Dindet might be the solution to at least some of his problems.

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

My heart has been ripped out of my chest.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is packed with unforgettable characters. Some you'll love, some you'll love to hate. Get ready for a roller coaster ride of emotions with Oliver, Dindet & co. From beautiful adventures to gut-wrenching situations, you'll not want to stop reading. The characters feel real, even the minor ones in the background. It's not often I get to read something so unique as this. Humans and Aliens interacting is nothing new, but this is a fantastic new take on it. This book made me laugh and boy did it make me cry. Oliver has suffered very real tragedies and his challenging personality is a result. I wanted to bundle him up and take him away from all his troubles and utterly obliterate all those who hurt him. Dindet's innocence is endearing and the interplay between the two is excellent. If you're looking for something different but highly relatable to read, pick this up.

I read a beta version of this book and here is my honest review. <3

[Celeste · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. I read it for the Trans Rights Readathon and think it has an important, though hard to read and uncomfortable as it should be, take on the conversation. I love clowns and Dindet was so charming I couldn’t put the book down. Oliver was hard to like at first but grew on me quickly. The story felt really well thought out and well paced. Overall really pleasantly surprised for an indie published book with few reviews.

I will say I often felt confused as to who’s perspective I was reading and who’s head I was in at certain points throughout the book and feel that this could have been better broken up - though it could have been a fault of the kindle version that I read as many parts of the book didn’t seem to translate paragraph structure from the way I assume it to have been actually written.

[Walle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a joy to read from start to finish. The characters were very fleshed out the story was incredible, it's just cinema. Definitely recommend!

[August Grey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of those books where I know I have feelings about it, but they're all jumbled in my head. I can't quite figure them out enough to put into words.
What I CAN say is that I really enjoyed reading this. The characters are all so loveable (except... that one dude. Screw that dude) and I want to protect them with my whole heart, keep them all safe. Dindet is absolutely precious and, at many points, a mood. Douglass is an absolute sweetheart. We all need a Douglass in our lives.
This was a pretty easy read for me, and something I found I was able to read for longer periods. It definitely took me through a range of emotions. Some of the descriptions had me stopping to yell, or taking a break to shake the feelings out before I could continue.
I'm definitely looking forward to reading book 2 and seeing what else Oleander has in store for us.

[A.R. Keogh · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is phenomenal!
It takes you through all the emotions, sometimes in only a few paragraphs!
There were some parts that had my stomach churning due to the content, but it was written so well I felt like I was feeling what the character was going through and experiencing.
10/10 recommend! I

[Drew Goodman · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you like fun Sci fi with dark undertones I cannot recommend this highly enough