Review: Littlethumb Sneezed by Truant D. Memphis

When 10-year old Littlethumb Brooks emerged from the “Occurrence,” the world around him had not changed, but he had. Always sensitive, but now a precocious artist, he possesses a wiseness beyond his years. In front of him stands an amazing series of events involving his parents, a kind yet eager teacher, an evil rock-star, a devastating fire and a beautiful nanny. Littlethumb Sneezed by the creatively named Truant D. Memphis captivates and careens through mystery, love, and a head-spinning jaunt through the enigmatic art world.

The story begins on Coney Island where a caricature artist meets a nanny and the little girl in her charge. The artist is smitten, and author then glides us back and forward through the life of Littlethumb. The youngest in a family that just happens to be from the Wampanoag tribe, Littlethumb lives in New York City, enjoying life as a typically shy and imaginative child in elementary school. But after the “Occurrence” – a time after Littlethumb’s grandfather passes on and our young artist finds himself in a frozen world – things change dramatically.

When Littlethumb awakes after his spirit journey, he’s acquired an ability within his subconscious to see into the soul of each human he meets. His newfound painting abilities express this inner being with each portrait he paints. Sawyer Pettimore, his school art teacher, recognizes this ability after Littlethumb paints an exact replica– or better – of DaVinci’s Mona Lisa. With both sincerity and self-interest, Pettimore guides Littlethumb into the art world and the fame and millions that await.

Littlethumb Sneezed triumphs as both a fast-moving mystery and literary character study. Memphis writes with effortless dexterity and a lighthearted tone, imbuing the story with a subtlety that keeps the story both swift and fascinating. He brings a story about a ten-year-old genius painter to life in way that would fall flat with a less gifted writer. Add a devastating turn of fate as the penultimate twist, and Memphis hooks in the reader as the book barrels toward a tough but satisfying conclusion.

Many novels rely on an extravagant event to propel the action forward, but few are presented as enigmatically as the “Occurrence.” Memphis teases this fascinating event right at the beginning of the novel, luring the reader in as it weaves the story through the lives of the Brooks clan. He introduces and then expounds on key characters and important events, so when the moment is revealed just what the “Occurence” actually is, it’s an immensely satisfying denouement. Memphis patiently fills in the lives of those close to Littlethumb, and then, when the big reveal arrives, the reader is enthralled by the final outcome.

Though the title is a shade more whimsical than the story, and the cover reveals very little about the depth of prose that can be found inside, Littlethumb Sneezed is a wonderful, entertaining novel with a deep understanding of what motivates humans to do what they do, for a thoroughly original work of literary fiction.