June 2012 Review: Diving into the Deep

The Monsters of Templeton by Lauren Groff

Flashplot:  Doctorate student and small-town girl made good, Willie Upton, returns to her hometown of Templeton, New York "disgraced." To keep her mind from the life she left behind, Willie sets out on a research journey through her family's past in order to discover the truth about her father and her town.  The story bounces between Willie and a few characters in current Templeton, modeled after Cooperstown, and the various players from the town's lurid past.  There is mystery, scandal, romance gone bad, and just a hint of the supernatural.

As a reader: One can't help but be struck by the beautiful prose of the opening pages.  The description is rich, the imagery thick–at times almost too thick.  The characters in the novel are unique and the plot compelling, so at times I felt myself wanting less description and exposition and more story.  In those opening pages, especially, I had a hard time connecting to the voice of the narrator who sounded much older than Willie, the twenty-eight year doctorate student, ought to sound.  That said, once I got into the events of the book, I was hooked. Even though I felt the book's alternating chapters, between past and present, sometimes slowed the pacing, overall it worked as a plot device, the past chapters adding depth to the present storyline.  Groff creates enough tension and mystery to keep the reader plowing through even her denser sections.

 As a writer:  Picking up this book as a reader at the start of her summer vacation, I found it heavier than what I was looking for. However, there is no denying that Groff is a talented writer, who spins a well-crafted plot, writes beautiful prose, and, once the book gets going, introduces us to great characters.  As a writer, I don't think I'm at a place where I could have the patience to research a historical fiction work and then weave those facts into a tale modern-day readers could enjoy, but I am in awe of anyone who does this with such success.  I found the writer's note preceding the book interesting and appreciated that the publisher saw fit to place it before rather than after the story proper.  Her purpose and journey as the author helped set the stage for a fascinating read.

Bottom line: While Monsters of Templeton didn't keep me up into the night, I truly enjoyed it.  If you are willing to take the time to linger in the language and ponder over the deeper themes, you'll be rewarded.