Mongrels
Book description
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. He was born an outsider, like the rest of his family. Poor yet resilient, he lives in the…
Why read it?
3 authors picked Mongrels as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?
Night takes on special significance in any werewolf narrative.
In this gorgeous novel, the narrator is descended from a line of werewolves, but is yet to transform himself, despite being past the age it might typically happen. He desperately wants to transform, and each moonlit night offers him the hope that he might feel like less of an outsider within his own family. This surprisingly tender coming-of-age story deftly explores what it means to exist on the fringes of society, and the deep-seeded need to belong.
I’ve always loved books that resist the confines of any one genre, and this…
From Rebecca's list on night’s tantalizing and terrifying potential.
This is one of those books that, when described, will turn a non-horror reader off. “It’s about a family of werewolves—” That’s all you’ll be able to get out before a certain type of reader has already decided not to like it. Yet, it’s so much more than that. I’d argue that this novel would have been just as compelling without the werewolf angle. The werewolf stuff is great, but not the heart of the story. Jones is first and foremost a phenomenal storyteller with one of the best voices in all of fiction. Get this one no matter what…
From John's list on appealing to horror readers and non-horror readers.
A family of werewolves tries to live large in a world that hates and fears them. Mongrels is one-part urban fantasy, one-part horror, one-part family drama, one-part Great American Novel, a coming-of-age story in its essence, a search for identity, a family epic.
This book had me laughing out loud at times and "Wow"-ing at others because of the beauty of its prose and ideas. And then there were the moments where I winced and grimaced because of the pain the main character suffered.
The violence, when it comes, is raw and brutal. The point-of-view narrative is believable as coming…
From Pete's list on werewolf thrillers without motorbikes or erotica.
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