It’s always wonderful when a book can make you stay up a little later than usual, lounging in your reading chair or leaning against your headboard. For me, that book is Stephen Graham Jones’s The Bastards, and my giant honey-colored reading chair. Aside from his short story Night Cyclist, this was my first time reading Jones’s work, and it was enough to convince me to read other books by him, as my hips and my reading chair continue their fusion relationship. But enough about me and my chair, let’s get down to the review.
Because that’s the job of a reviewer. (You have to read the book to understand this, I think.)
MONGRELS is a simple, plot-driven story about a boy growing up (whose age varies from pre-teen to tween throughout the book) whose aunt, uncle, and grandfather are all werewolves—and who longs to become one, but isn’t sure if it will ever be possible. And that’s the thread that holds the otherwise disjointed format together: Will this boy become a werewolf? The chapters move back and forth in time and narrative, and each is filled with interesting stories that teach us about the ways, rules, and lore surrounding human-wolf hybrids.
Jones’s analysis of the werewolf is thorough, richly illustrated, and answers questions we never thought of, but we love the answers all the same. Is it safe for werewolves to wear nylons? Can they eat French fries? These lessons may not seem important, but it is these extra touches that make the book stand out and keep you interested, fascinated, and thinking.
Jones’s prose is clean and simple, sometimes poetic, and often powerful where it needs to be. My copy of MONGRELS is full of bright pink lines where I marked passages of prose that made me delight in the clever use of words.
Because that’s what writers do. They write it down.
Annexes A, B and C:
“I stepped hard on the LeSabre’s accelerator and drove us deeper into the night.”
“His hands were in his pockets. That made him look more innocent. But it was just another way of saying he was still guilty.”
“I swallowed, convinced it was a tsunami and everyone heard it.”
Perfect for coming-of-age buffs, road trip enthusiasts, werewolves and anarchists, and will hold a special place in the hearts of those who appreciate What Happened in the Night (yes, the vampire movie). If the rest of Stephen Grahame Jones’s work is as good as The Bastards, then I’ve found another author to join my list of favourites.
Rating: 5/5
Buy Mongrels here.
