Winkie”Winkie” by Clifford Chase c.2006, Grove / Atlantic $17.95 256 pages
Remember your childhood teddy bear?
He was your best friend, your fiercest protector, and the quietest of confidantes. You literally loved him to pieces before he ended up in a donation bin somewhere, or tucked away safely by your sentimental mother.
Who knew that a teddy bear could be so dangerous?
Read the new novel, “Winkie” by Clifford Chase and you’ll see what I mean. Winkie was born sometime in the 1920s. He remembered a factory and a box up on a shelf before he went to live with Ruth. Back then, Winkie was a girl bear named Marie and she wore a velvet dress and other clothing hand-made by Ruth’s mother. Marie was Ruth’s best friend.
When Ruth grew up and had children of her own, Marie belonged to those children. Two girls were born, followed by Paul, then Ken, then Cliff. It was Cliff that gave Winkie his name, and it was Cliff’s growing up that Winkie most regretted. When Cliff forgot to rescue Winkie during Hurricane Betsy, Winkie became angry. The little bear broke a window, jumped to the grass, and ran away to the forest.
What miracle occurred to cause Winkie to have a baby? Winkie himself didn’t know for sure, but Baby Winkie was the light in her father’s metal eyes, and he loved her dearly. So when an evil mad-scientist professor fell in love with Baby Winkie and captured her, Winkie was horrified. Unable to help, he watched from a distance as the professor mysteriously died and the distraught cub withered and disappeared.
As he hid in the professor’s cabin, Winkie mourned his cub. Was Winkie a bad bear? Did he deserve such a hard life? Before he could determine the answers, Winkie heard soldiers and helicopters. He was arrested; accused of terrorism, impersonating a woman, blasphemy, holding the false doctrine that the sun is the center of the world and the earth moves, witchcraft, and over five hundred other “crimes”.
Now, the Trial of the Century is being held. The prosecution has hired actors to stand in as witnesses and Winkie’s only salvation is a near-worthless, bumbling defense lawyer who has never won a case. What happens when a very bad disgusting dirty mangy bear takes the stand for himself?
Alrighty then.
“Winkie” is an oddly interesting little novel that’s somewhat kind of semi-biographical in a fictional way, but mostly total fantasy.
In other words, it’s hard to describe.
Still, author Clifford Chase’s story makes you feel sorry for the baffled little bear in the title. There are heartbreaking passages in this book, followed by ludicrous scenes that will make you chuckle. At the very least, you’ll wonder what ever happened to that childhood bear that you so cavalierly tossed in a giveaway box years ago.
“Winkie” isn’t a novel for everybody. Some readers are going to find it just plain too weird. If you’re up for something different, though, grab your teddy bear and take this sad, beautiful and very, very strange little novel to bed with you tonight.