Wednesday, June 19, 2019

Book Review: MONGRELS by Stephen Graham Jones

MONGRELS by Stephen Graham Jones  (William Morrow, May 2016)  Hardcover, 300 pages.  ISBN #  0062412698 / 9780062412690. Nominated for Bram Stoker Awards 2016 for Best Novel.  Nominated for Shirley Jackson Awards 2016 for Best Novel.

 

Summary from the Goodreads website . . . . .

 

A spellbinding and darkly humorous coming-of-age story about an unusual boy whose family lives on the fringes of society and struggles to survive in a hostile world that shuns and fears them.

 

He was born an outsider, like the rest of his family. Poor yet resilient, he lives in the shadows with his Aunt Libby and Uncle Darren, folk who stubbornly make their way in a society that does not understand or want them. They are mongrels, mixed blood, neither this nor that. The boy at the center of Mongrels must decide if he belongs on the road with his aunt and uncle, or if he fits with the people on the other side of the tracks.

 

For ten years, he and his family have lived a life of late-night exits and close calls—always on the move across the South to stay one step ahead of the law. But the time is drawing near when Darren and Libby will know if their nephew is like them or not. And the close calls they’ve been running from for so long are catching up fast, now. Everything is about to change.

 

A compelling and fascinating journey, Mongrels alternates between past and present to create an unforgettable portrait of a boy trying to understand his family and his place in a complex and unforgiving world. A smart and innovative story—funny, bloody, raw, and real—told in a rhythmic voice full of heart, Mongrels is a deeply moving, sometimes grisly novel that illuminates the challenges and tender joys of a life beyond the ordinary in a bold and imaginative new way. 

 

 

My review on the Goodreads website . . . . .

 

    I read this with the Horror Aficionados community as part of a group read for June. I'm going to let my comments from that forum serve as my review. For those who don't want to read all my ramblings, I recommend you check this book out if you like this author and/or want to read a new take on werewolf legends. 

 

JUNE 15

 

     I started today, and finished the first chapter (28 pages). I'm all in. Even without the horror themes, it's a very well-written coming-of-age story with a lot of character - - 8 year old boy being raised by relatives, questioning his life and searching for identity and getting a big surprise. Is he the same blood as his family or isn't he? 

 

     Jones seems to be putting his own spin on werewolf mythology and I like where he's taking it so far. Some are more like wolves than humans with wolf-like features. Four legs are more pure blood than the two-legged werewolf variety. And have more self-control, not slaves to the moon cycles. Interesting. 

 

JUNE 16  

 

     Now at Page 148 / Beginning of Chapter 10.  The first nine chapters of this book have been what I want to call “odd”, but “different” seems more appropriate. 

 

     Rather than a sequence of events leading up to the introduction of a major conflict, Mongrels is episodic, reading as a series of anecdotal memories - each with it’s own point to make or detail a learning experience in the maturation of our young narrator. 

  

     Not that there isn’t conflict.  Two themes run throughout each chapter — survival (especially the lack of regular food, and a proper income to provide it) as well as the avoidance of discovery.  This is a dysfunctional family like no other. 

   

     This has not been an easy read, despite the fireside chat/story-telling nature of the narration. Chapters jump around in time, from past to present and back again.  The narrator (never identified or addressed by name so far) is eight, then ten, then thirteen years-old.  The most traumatic among several disturbing events occurs in Chapter 9, which may mark a turning point. 

  

      Also a bit jolting is the occasional change in tense from chapter to chapter. After a compelling chapter of first person narration, the next chapter will be in third person. This occurs in Chapter 2, 4, 6, and 8.

It takes a bit of reading to catch onto what Jones is doing. These chapters are still told by the young narrator - - he’s just referring to himself in third person like an imaginative youngster experiencing walking dreams of which he’s the star - - - first a vampire, then a reporter, next a criminal, and finally a biologist.  What he really wants most is to become a werewolf like Uncle Darren who he seems to admire and find faultless (despite plenty of evidence to the contrary). 

    

      However, Aunt Libby is just as messed up with her own self-control issues. Even wannabe girlfriend Brittany is not as perfect a fit for our narrator as she first appears.  I’m not really warming up to any of these characters, except for the narrator.  I wish Jones would give us a hint at a name, make him more personable to us.  But, I am fascinated by each and every one of these misfits.  

   

     I’ll continue to read this, despite the eerie feeling that I’m now alone in this group discussion. (Looking over my shoulder and squinting - - Is that someone back there in the dark following me?)

 

JUNE 18 

 

     Now at Page 247 / Beginning of Chapter 17.  The episodic chapters continue, although there are two more events that seem to be to be more of a continuing conflict than other incidents so far.  I’m hoping to see them both come up again and provide some resolution/conclusion. 

  

     The chapters continue to alternate between first and third person, with the third person chapters dealing with shorter flashback scenes.  Some of these seem so incidental I’m not sure why Graham chose to include them. 

  

     Our young narrator becomes a mechanic, a hitchhiker, a prisoner and a villager in those alternating chapters. Usually the choice of imaginary occupation comes from the professions of characters who he interacts with, although I’m not entirely sure who influenced him to be an imaginary criminal in an earlier chapter.  We still don’t know the full name of our narrator/protagonist, although his English teacher addresses him as Mr. Tolbert (perhaps a homage to Larry Talbot, the identify of the Wolfman as portrayed in the movie by Lon Chaney Jr.)

 

      I’m still enjoying the book, although the stop/start, episodic nature of the storytelling doesn’t compel me to read large chunks at one time, or get caught up and keep turning the pages. That makes it easy to read a chapter at a time and put it down, do something else, and come back to it whenever. If the story was more straightforward I believe I would have finished by now. 

 

JUNE 19

 

       I finished the book last night. Chapter 17 - The Mark Of The Beast - is the best chapter in Mongrels. This kept me reading until the end. It’s like a standalone novella within the novel.  However, for complete appreciation of what happens here readers need all the information that preceded it in the rest of the book. 

     

     Everything ties together in a way that I didn’t see coming and I’m very satisfied with the conclusion of the book, even though things are left open enough that Jones can continue to tell stories of this family if he chooses to.  Our still mostly-unnamed main character has asked multiple questions throughout the novel, which is the device Jones used to fill in all the backstory and history.  However, the end of the book finally answers the biggest question of them all, one that was posed very early in the novel and reinforced throughout.  I actually didn’t think this was the answer, which in hindsight was a nice surprise. 

   

     Prior to this I was enjoying the book but I didn’t think it deserved more than a three-star rating. Now I can confidently give it a four-star rating. 

   

     Had I paid more attention to the information and endorsements on the dust jacket I might have had a different approach to reading this, but I’m glad I just went for it.  

    

     The statement on the interior flap tells readers exactly what’s in store here:  “A spellbinding and darkly humorous coming-of-age story about an unusual boy, whose family lives on the fringe of society and struggles to survive in a hostile world that shuns and fears them.”  I couldn’t have said it better. 


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