Name: Ashlyn's review of Mongrels by Stephen Graham Jones
Item: Mongrels
Rating: 5
Author: Ashlyn

Stephen Graham Jones

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 shadows with his aunt Libby and uncle Darren, folk who stubbornly make their way in a society that does not understand or want them. They are mongrels, mixed blood, neither this nor that. The boy at the center of Mongrels must decide if he belongs on the road with his aunt and uncle, or if he fits with the people on the other side of the tracks. For ten years, he and his family have lived a life of late-night exits and narrow escapes—always on the move across the South to stay one step ahead of the law. But the time is drawing near when Darren and Libby will finally know if their nephew is like them or not. And the close calls they’ve been running from for so long are catching up fast now. Everything is about to change. A compelling and fascinating journey, Mongrels alternates between past and present to create an unforgettable portrait of a boy trying to understand his family and his place in a complex and unforgiving world. A smart and innovative story— funny, bloody, raw, and real—told in a rhythmic voice full of heart, Mongrels is a deeply moving, sometimes grisly, novel that illuminates the challenges and tender joys of a life beyond the ordinary in a bold and imaginative new way.

A Novel

Mongrels

Ashlyn

Patrick Book

4.5 stars probably, if only because I know that his later work continues to build and intensify. This is pretty remarkable, in that Jones warps and transmogrifies werewolf lore in fascinating and intriguing ways (he’s clearly spent a lot more time than anyone in decades thinking about how werewolves have been understood and could be changed) but also that he uses werewolves a pretty seamless mechanism for commenting on the perception of the modern world and the sense of belonging in it felt by American indigenous peoples. Pretty dang slick!

SGJ always knocks it out of the park, but Mongrels was especially resonant for me. The "home" environment the adolescent narrator grows up in is very similar to mine, although my family were not werewolves but a different type of monster. "Home" was an endless string of trailers, motel rooms, couches of acquaintances, the backseats of whatever jalopies we happened upon. I stopped counting the school systems I'd been through at number 13. The adults in my life were uneducated, dead-ended, irresponsible, and overall hopeless. They had no knowledge of how to get out of the lives they'd dug themselves into, so they dug their heels in ever deeper. 

This book brought up a lot of old feelings and experiences, but not in a bad way. It's good knowing someone out there has gone through this and can articulate it (extremely well, in the case of SGJ) to others who can't connect as well with their upbringing. I hope there are more authors who keep telling the stories of mongrels, inspiring urchins like me to break the mold.

SGJ always knocks it out of the park, but Mongrels was especially resonant for me. The "home" environment the adolescent narrator grows up in is very similar to mine, although my family were not werewolves but a different type of monster. "Home" was an endless string of trailers, motel rooms, couches of acquaintances, the backseats of whatever jalopies we happened upon. I stopped counting the school systems I'd been through at number 13. The adults in my life were uneducated, dead-ended, irresponsible, and overall hopeless. They had no knowledge of how to get out of the lives they'd dug themselves into, so they dug their heels in ever deeper. 

This book brought up a lot of old feelings and experiences, but not in a bad way. It's good knowing someone out there has gone through this and can articulate it (extremely well, in the case of SGJ) to others who can't connect as well with their upbringing. I hope there are more authors who keep telling the stories of mongrels, inspiring urchins like me to break the mold.

Elizabeth Neill

I really enjoyed this book and I didn’t want it to end. I was so excited to read about towns in Texas that I hardly see in books. Towns where my family is from and I had to read that part out loud to my dad. It was a great coming of age story and I would highly recommend this to anyone that loves werewolf stories. I loved Stephen Graham Jones' take on the werewolf myth and it was something I didn’t even think about.

Jeremy Sheridan Wells

Mongrels is less a narrative and more of a portrait of a lyncanthropic family told through a series of non-linear vignettes. Jones takes the tropes of werewolf stories and sets them in the modern American South, and uses this reimagining of the condition to create a visceral depiction of poverty, alienation, and transience. 

Kerri McDonald

“The modern world, it’s custom-designed to kill werewolves. There’s french fries, for one.”

I read this book during the first round of the Trope-ical Readathon this year. It was the team book for Team Mystery/Horror/Thriller and I wasn’t sure how I was going to get on with it. I had never read anything from Stephen Graham Jones and my feelings towards werewolves is very… meh. I’m so glad I gave this a shot, though, because I loved it!

We’re following a young boy and his life with his family. Fun fact, though: everyone in his small family is werewolves. He lives with his Uncle Darren and Aunt Libby and his life seems to be in a constant state of flux. They move a lot (on account of the whole werewolf thing), both Darren and Libby are forever in and out of jobs, and our young protagonist lives with one question constantly burning in the back of his mind. When will it be his turn to shift?

As I mentioned, I’m not a huge fan of werewolf stories, but this book may have changed my views! I think what did it for me is that, though being a werewolf is a huge part of this story, it’s somehow not the main focus. What we’re really focusing on is watching this young man grow up and come into his own. We’re focusing on his transient life with his aunt and uncle and on how that affects him. This is less a story about werewolves and more a coming-of-age tale about a boy… who just happens to crave the day he becomes a werewolf, too.

Don’t get it twisted, though! Stephen Graham Jones certainly doesn’t shy away from the more gory aspects you would expect in a tale featuring lycanthropes. We get all the myths, all the legends, and plenty of tidbits about werewolf lore, though told in an incredibly unique way. It’s like we’re learning about life as a werewolf right alongside the protagonist as his aunt and uncle prepare him for what could be. But we’re also kept on the edge of our seats because we don’t really know if he’ll ever actually shift or not. I loved how the author built that tension in the story and I love how he weaved a contemporary tale and a horror story effortlessly.

I will say there were moments were the book felt a little slow to me. But we’re watching a kid grow up. Even if your family devours raw meat (that they probably just killed) on the regular, there are some pretty dull parts of getting older. Overall, though, I was engaged from beginning to end! The writing was great, the characters beautifully written, and the ending was *chef’s kiss*

Final thoughts: I do love a genre-bending book and I think this one fits the bill! It’s a wonderful coming-of-age story that just happens to have werewolves in it. Or it’s a perfectly gory horror story with a bit of heart. Whatever it is, I loved it! If you like your horror to have a lot of layers, incredible character work, and great writing, then I think you would enjoy Mongrels!

Becca Futrell

Don’t get me wrong — Stephen Graham Jones is a fantastic writer & I get why this book is so well-loved. I just don’t think it was for me.

Southern Today Gone Tomorrow

Written by Stephen Graham Jones, Mongrels follows a boy, who is supposedly unnamed. BUT I SWEAR, I HEARD HIM REFERRED TO BY A NAME AT SOME POINT. Okay, done. Darren and Libby, the boy’s aunt and uncle, take him across the Southern half of the US after his grandfather dies.

Yes, this is about werewolves. Yes, this is told in a very unique and engaging way. Yes, I enjoyed both the writing style, story telling, and the plot of this novel.

However, the ending bothered me to no end. I think because Libby and Darren both had sort of cop out endings. That’s because the ending doesn’t feel like an ending.

Alright, a little more organized now.

The writing jumps the story back and forth over the course of this boys life, back and forth, back and forth, and is written in more of a journal format. I enjoyed what the audio book brought to the table in that when the character started referring to himself in the third person a different narrator took over. It made a clear distinction that it was different.

The werewolves in this novel were also rather wonderful in their take. It was a curse, and they were running. Yes, the ending puts a twist on everything that happened to this family, but that also made it that much more interesting.

I was not a fan of the final love interest, but that could just be me.

THIS IS NOT FOR CHILDREN. Okay. I don’t know about even high schoolers, this has some… um…. interesting things. How the werewolves came into existence… yeah… not for children.

If you are looking for another werewolf book with a different spin on it, give this a try. If you want action with no real romance, give this a try. If you want something written in a different style than is common now, give this a try.

Erin Goss

Half Yeti, All Man

Ariel Johnson

NOMINATED FOR THE SHIRLEY JACKSON AWARD • NOMINATED FOR THE BRAM STOKER AWARD NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF 2016 BY TOR.COM AND BOOK RIOT 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 shadows with his aunt Libby and uncle Darren, folk who stubbornly make their way in a society that does not understand or want them. They are mongrels, mixed blood, neither this nor that. The boy at the center of Mongrels must decide if he belongs on the road with his aunt and uncle, or if he fits with the people on the other side of the tracks. For ten years, he and his family have lived a life of late-night exits and narrow escapes—always on the move across the South to stay one step ahead of the law. But the time is drawing near when Darren and Libby will finally know if their nephew is like them or not. And the close calls they’ve been running from for so long are catching up fast now. Everything is about to change. A compelling and fascinating journey, Mongrels alternates between past and present to create an unforgettable portrait of a boy trying to understand his family and his place in a complex and unforgiving world. A smart and innovative story— funny, bloody, raw, and real—told in a rhythmic voice full of heart, Mongrels is a deeply moving, sometimes grisly, novel that illuminates the challenges and tender joys of a life beyond the ordinary in a bold and imaginative new way.

Ana Hein

Janice Hopper

Jonathan Grunert

Mark Anderson

Zoey Mikalatos

Theodore Kaplan

Fraser Simons

Grace

Mirella Hetekivi

A spellbinding and surreal coming-of-age story about a young boy living on the fringe with his family - who are secretly werewolves - and struggling to survive in a contemporary America that shuns them. 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 shadows with his aunt Libby and uncle Darren, folk who stubbornly make their way in a society that does not understand or want them. They are mongrels, mixed blood, neither this nor that. The boy at the centre of Mongrels must decide if he belongs on the road with his aunt and uncle, or if he fits with the people on the other side of the tracks. For ten years, he and his family have lived a life of late-night exits and narrow escapes--always on the move across the South to stay one step ahead of the law. But the time is drawing near when Darren and Libby will finally know if their nephew is like them or not. And the close calls they've been running from for so long are catching up fast now. Everything is about to change. A compelling and fascinating journey, Mongrels alternates between past and present to create an unforgettable portrait of a boy trying to understand his family and his place in a complex and unforgiving world.

Ashlyn &
Mongrels by Stephen Graham Jones

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