REVIEWS+

Busy Monsters

by William Giraldi
Norton. Aug. 2011. c.224p. ISBN 9780393079623. $24.95. F
COPY ISBN
OrangeReviewStarCharlie Homar is a memoirist for a slick national magazine and a haplessly unlucky soul in love. When he meets Gillian at a carnival in his Connecticut hometown, he feels he's finally found the love of his life, and their relationship goes along quite happily until she takes off unannounced and pursues her lifelong passion to bring back a giant squid. With Gillian at sea hunting a monster of nature, Charlie is left at sea romantically and spiritually, so he embarks on a quest to try to find a way to win her back. Seeking advice and counsel all across the country, he confronts Bigfoot in the Northwest and UFOs (and UFO hunters) in Seattle, all the while battling his own equally dangerous internal monsters.
VERDICT Charlie's last name is no coincidence as here we have a seriocomic picaresque that references everything from the Odyssey to medieval romances to Don Quixote and Moby-Dick. A brilliant first novel that may well be in the running for 2011's literary awards.
Reviewed by Lawrence Rungren, Merrimack Valley Lib. Consortium, North Andover, MA , Jun 15, 2011
Comment Policy:
  • Be respectful, and do not attack the author, people mentioned in the article, or other commenters. Take on the idea, not the messenger.
  • Don't use obscene, profane, or vulgar language.
  • Stay on point. Comments that stray from the topic at hand may be deleted.
  • Comments may be republished in print, online, or other forms of media.
  • If you see something objectionable, please let us know. Once a comment has been flagged, a staff member will investigate.

RELATED 

More
ALREADY A SUBSCRIBER?

We are currently offering this content for free. Sign up now to activate your personal profile, where you can save articles for future viewing

ALREADY A SUBSCRIBER?