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Material Type | Library | Call Number | Item Barcode | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Book | Searching... Dracut - Moses Greeley Parker Memorial Library | FIC/JONES | 31482002691817 | Searching... Unknown |
| Book | Searching... Georgetown Peabody Library | SF JONES | 32120001112828 | Searching... Unknown |
| Book | Searching... North Andover - Stevens Memorial Library | F JONES | 31478010195346 | Searching... Unknown |
| Book | Searching... Tewksbury Public Library | FICTION JONES | 32132002839267 | Searching... Unknown |
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Summary
Summary
Nominated for both the Shirley Jackson and Bram Stoker Awards, and a Best of 2016 selection of Tor.com and Book Riot, acclaimed horror writer Stephen Graham Jones' (The Only Good Indians and My Heart is a Chainsaw) Mongrels goes beyond your typical werewolf story to show a young boy, mired in poverty and always on the run, coming-of-age in a world that fears him and hates his family...but may just be more monstrous than he could ever be.
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 narrow escapes--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 finally 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.
Reviews (3)
Publisher's Weekly Review
In this lyrical but meandering novel, Jones (After the People Lights Have Gone Off) delicately portrays the coming of age of a young boy growing up in a family of werewolves. Throughout the novel, the unnamed narrator and his aunt, Libby, and uncle, Darren, both werewolves, wander the present-day American South working low-wage jobs while always wary of the dangers of staying in one place for too long and being recognized for what they really are. The narrator's voice is heartfelt and absorbing as he learns the rules of being a werewolf while always wondering whether he will become one himself, a question that drives the story to its moving conclusion. There are jailbreaks and various battles, including one with a bear, alongside several encounters with other werewolves. While the episodic structure sometimes causes the novel to feel as aimless as its characters, it's still an often moving portrait of a family struggling to survive in a world that "wants us to be monsters." (May) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Kirkus Review
A boy raised by werewolves chronicles the hurt and confusion of growing up strange. Prolific postmodernist writer Jones (After the People Lights Have Gone Off, 2014, etc.) continues his deep dive into genre fiction with this messy coming-of-age novel that attempts to blend Southern gothic, the country nuance of Daniel Woodrell, and the blood-and-guts horror of John Horner Jacobs, with mixed results. Our unnamed first-person narrator tells the story of his upbringing among a traveling pack of werewolves. After his grandfather dies in a grisly transformation, the boy is left with only his Uncle Darren and Aunt Libby to look after him. On the cusp of adolescence at about 12 years old, he can tell he's changing but not what he's changing intohis family is convinced he's just late in turning into one of them, but he remains unsure. The novel has little unifying plot other than a series of interconnected vignettes and the boy's running commentary on the nature and character of werewolves. It's a lot of this: "We're werewolves. This is what we do, this is how we live. If you want to call it that." The most compelling moment comes when the boy meets a girl, Brittany Andrews, who wants him to turn her into a werewolf, but this subtle plot is cast away, too. In some ways, it's a love letter to the American South, and Jones' portrayals of rural Americana ring true in many ways. Horror enthusiasts will also dig the graphic mythology heretransformations are as bloody and visceral as anything this side of An American Werewolf in London. But in trying to strip bare the language and view the world through an adolescent lens, the book largely apes the experience of growing upand is likely to leave readers confused, frustrated, and impatient. A Holden Caulfield analogue dropped into an old horror movie with a soundtrack by Warren Zevon. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Library Journal Review
Having been raised by werewolves after his grandfather's death, the boy knows he's different. Taken on the road by his Aunt Libby and Uncle Darren, he and his adoptive parents never settled in one place for long, staying on the outskirts of towns and society. After traveling across the South for ten years, -Darren and Libby sense the time is approaching when they'll be able to determine whether their nephew shares their "mongrel" nature. Weaving werewolf lore, a coming-of-age tale, and wrong-side-of-the-tracks tropes, Jones (After the People Lights Have Gone Off) has written a riveting story about fierce family ties amid the monstrosity of a bloody lineage. -Verdict Horror fans will dive deep into this strong literary work, with its dark humor that is sure to attract readers of all speculative genres.-KC © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.