William Giraldi

unique in its genre (dark thriller), written with crystal clear sentences, following a Tarantino like string of violent events that seem unconnected and do not always make sense, until one arrives at a spell-binding, harmonious ending.

The story opens with a mystery – three kids in a remote village in Alaska have been brutally killed by hungry wolves. The mother of the third child approaches a wolf expert (Core), whose life is at a dead end – wife paralysed on her death bed, daughter estranged living her own life in far-away Alaska. It is initially not clear to Core what the bereft mother Medora wants: the bones of her son? Core guesses she wants a tooth for a tooth and promises to hunt down the pack of wolves responsible for this killing spree, also for Medora to have something to show to her husband when he returns from his war in the desert. Soon enough Core locates the pack of hungry wolves, but he fails to kill one of them. He returns to the cabin in the remote Alaskan village, only to discover the body of the boy in the basement, and Medora gone. This leads to some fruitless investigation jointly with a local Police Officer, Marium. Then the husband returns and a killing spree starts. Marium and Core join hands chasing both Medora and Slone (her husband). Will they succeed in locating the mother before she is supposedly killed by her irate husband? Lots of snow, cold, shamanic characters, wolves and four wheel cars ahead… and killings galore.

One reviewer called this novel masculine in the extreme – wild, evil, dark, violent, driven by primal emotions. Yet it was a refreshing read after finishing a novel without any male characters (Matrix by Lauren Groff). For a novel in the snow-clad expanses of Alaska, there is a lot of sharp and witty dialogue. A gem.… (meer)

If you read the New York Times Book Review, the New York Book Review, the London Book Review, or even Slate, you've read this kind of intelligent critical work before. Giraldi is unusually good at it, and his work is distinguished by a passion that often goes right up to the edge of sympathy without quite going beyond. He's very smart, and he cares a lot. I particularly enjoyed his essay on Harper Lee, whom he believes was obviously manipulated into the release of an early book she had no plans to release while she was in full possession of herself. On the whole, however, I'm already well served by reading the work of a wide variety of critics, and didn't gain a lot by the intensive focus on this particular one.… (meer)

The story follows Charles Homar as he looks to reclaim his bride-to-be. This was a lot of fun to read. I loved the wit and style of writing.

Gems such as these are scattered throughout:
"Wanting to write for the Globe and the Herald is like wanting to fight for the Austrians and the French."
"We human monsters make choices with teh minds of worms; good sense lies east, we veer west; trouble sends an invitation, we RSVP the very same day."
"Have you ever tried to read Thoreau? It's like listening to someon with Alzheimer's try to tell you about his high school prom."

...and it just keeps on going with wild digressions and windy pronouncements. I must point out that anyone who focuses too much on trying to follow the ins and outs of a plot, anyone looking for something resembling reality, should approach the book with caution. The book is most definitely disconnected from reality and logic throughout. Which is not to say it isn't funny or fun to read, because it certainly is both. Much of what I enjoyed about Busy Monsters came from watching the characters bumble along while the lead player maintains his first-person monologue.

Thank you Mr. Girard for a good laugh and a fine story.



I was given this book as a First-Reads selection.… (meer)