Little Monsters

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Purposefully-unlikable and flawed characters are common with litfic, so if you don’t like the book “because of the characters,” the feedback is, “That’s the whole point! Tensions rise due to the increasing feeling of rivalry and competition for their fathers approval between the siblings, and climax when a third (half-) sibling enters the playing field with an urgent message to share. Adam Gardner, approaching his 70th birthday, is a marine biologist, whose fading glory days include his expertise on humpback whales. This is described as being drawn from the biblical tale of "Cain and Abel" and perhaps there are hints of it here and there, but this story definitely stands on its own. The work contains incendiary revelations of the past that all family members have buried deep, as well as blossoming news about the future.

Connections to Cain and Abel go deeper than the obvious name-references, but weave into the character dynamics seamlessly. There was one very damning piece of evidence that I’d hate the book, though: Miranda Cowley Heller endorsed it. I went in with low expectations because I’m generally not a fan of BN book club books and anything even peripherally associated with The Paper Palace is instantly unappealing to me, and it’s possible that worked in the novel’s favor. Ackerman describes the strong maternal instincts owls display and outlines the environmental threats to these entrancing birds. But the time frame of this engaging, neatly plotted novel distinguishes it, serving as the emotional underpinning of the action.No one gave a damn about appearances anymore, as far as he could tell—full arm tattoos on white-collar professionals, women in their “comfortable” shoes, blue jeans as the pant of choice.

Jenny, the once wild-child and now tamed trophy wife of Ken’s, remains Abby’s best friend, ever since their first year at the Rhode Island School of Design.The author’s knowledge of Cape Cod, its environmental laws, the indigenous intricacies of land and sea and all that lives above or below the ocean or flies overhead makes Little Monsters a visceral, multi-sensorial feast woven into the perfectly paced story as each chapter builds by connecting the dots and ends with the lure of a page-turning cliff-hanger.

Possibly that’s intentional—that’s true in the real world as well as fiction—but I am so personally tired of pregnancy being such a major part of stories about women. Inspired by the archetypal story of Cain and Abel, Little Monsters is a kaleidoscopic, propulsive, and sophisticated drama exquisite with the tension of characters careening in and out of one another’s orbits, alternately sharing and withholding secrets from one another and themselves—and with Cape Cod’s magnificence and hidden corners elevating every page.The characters have to look at her painting for a while before they can understand much of anything, but the longer they look, the more they bring their own perspective to it, the more it means to them. David is a more minor character, despite his intense and long-held connections to both Ken and Abby. I loved that this book had a Halloween setting, I haven’t read many books set on Halloween, and the way that this story incorporated it into this story was really clever.