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alexiscartwheelI meant to post about Lauren Groff’s The Monsters of Templeton last week when I finished the book, but I just didn’t have time amid all my moving preparations. Better late than never, though!
Groff’s first novel takes place in the town of Templeton, a fictionalized version of Cooperstown, New York, hometown of the author as well as novelist James Fennimore Cooper. The Monsters of Templeton incorporates some of Cooper’s character, as well as a fictionalized version of his family, the town’s founders. (Yes, ancestry, as it relates both to people and places, is very important to the novel.)
Willie Upton, the novel’s protagonist and sometimes narrator, is descended from founder Marmaduke Temple through two lines, one legitimate and one illegitimate. She returns home to Templeton after a disastrous affair, pregnant and confused. Unfortunately, Templeton doesn’t immediately provide the solace she seeks. On the day of her return, the town’s legendary lake monster dies. Then Willie discovers that her ex-hippie mother Vivienne has been born again as a Baptist. As a result, Vivienne cannot continue to lie to her daughter, and reveals that her father was not one of three men from a California commune—as Willie had always blieved—but a Templeton resident, also descended from Marmaduke Temple.
Willie embarks on a quest to find her father, whose name Vivienne refuses to reveal. Groff includes Willie’s constantly changing family trees in the text, as well as family portraits and chapters narrated by some of Willie’s ancestors. The genealogical aspects of the book really appealed to me, since I have a personal interest in chasing down my ancestors, if not for such a dramatic reason.
There’s a lot to enjoy about The Monsters of Templeton. There are bits of magical realism, mystery, ghost story, and historical fiction that make it hard to place the book in any particular genre. There’s also a fascinating cast of characters, both contemporary and historical. I really don’t feel I’m doing to book justice, and wish I could quote an excerpt, but unfortunately I had to take my copy back to the library. Suffice to say, it’s an entertaining and well-written story, and you should definitely add it to you to-read pile!
Groff’s first novel takes place in the town of Templeton, a fictionalized version of Cooperstown, New York, hometown of the author as well as novelist James Fennimore Cooper. The Monsters of Templeton incorporates some of Cooper’s character, as well as a fictionalized version of his family, the town’s founders. (Yes, ancestry, as it relates both to people and places, is very important to the novel.)
Willie Upton, the novel’s protagonist and sometimes narrator, is descended from founder Marmaduke Temple through two lines, one legitimate and one illegitimate. She returns home to Templeton after a disastrous affair, pregnant and confused. Unfortunately, Templeton doesn’t immediately provide the solace she seeks. On the day of her return, the town’s legendary lake monster dies. Then Willie discovers that her ex-hippie mother Vivienne has been born again as a Baptist. As a result, Vivienne cannot continue to lie to her daughter, and reveals that her father was not one of three men from a California commune—as Willie had always blieved—but a Templeton resident, also descended from Marmaduke Temple.
Willie embarks on a quest to find her father, whose name Vivienne refuses to reveal. Groff includes Willie’s constantly changing family trees in the text, as well as family portraits and chapters narrated by some of Willie’s ancestors. The genealogical aspects of the book really appealed to me, since I have a personal interest in chasing down my ancestors, if not for such a dramatic reason.
There’s a lot to enjoy about The Monsters of Templeton. There are bits of magical realism, mystery, ghost story, and historical fiction that make it hard to place the book in any particular genre. There’s also a fascinating cast of characters, both contemporary and historical. I really don’t feel I’m doing to book justice, and wish I could quote an excerpt, but unfortunately I had to take my copy back to the library. Suffice to say, it’s an entertaining and well-written story, and you should definitely add it to you to-read pile!
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