Mongrels by Stephen Graham Jones
Reviewed by: Sarah Baker, Library Volunteer
Genre: Fantasy Horror
Suggested Age: Adults
What is This Book About?: Our narrator, constantly defining himself through other people but whose name is never given, lives with his aunt and uncle. In the beginning he lived with his grandfather as well. His grandfather told him lots of werewolf stories because they are literal werewolves. But not every werewolf story is truth, or even about wolves. As he comes of age, the family wanders the southern part of the country, never staying long and always on the run. The story jumps back and forth in time, told in snapshots of strong memories. As he reaches puberty, he waits to become a wolf, knowing the pain and suffering it will bring, but wanting it anyway, to be a true part of his family.
My Review: Jones elicits a lot of emotions from me – pity, anger, sadness, fear, understanding, and a deep knowledge that I only understand the surface and can never reach the full truth. The harshness of these characters’ lives is a mix of their nomadic wolf life and the fact that they are native. And the poverty, racism, alcoholism and violence are just a part of everyday native life. The werewolf only exacerbates it. That was what really got under my skin more than the horror and the violence. It was the day-to-day grind to survive. This was a grab-you-by-the-throat read, with believable characters and well worth your time. Just don’t expect a happy ending.
Three Words That Describe This Book: Relentless, Grim, Violent
Give this a try if you like…Werewolves, urban fantasy, native tales
Rating: (out of 5) 5/5
About FDL Reads
FDL Reads is a series of weekly book reviews from Fondulac District Library.
