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Broken Monsters eBook Lauren Beukes

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Broken Monsters eBook Lauren Beukes

Broken Monsters is both a police procedural and a horror. The body of a boy is found in... an unnatural state, one may say. We watch as a police officer tries to solve the crime; as her teenage daughter makes mistakes that ripple outside of her small world; as a homeless man takes care of those around him, including his closest friend; as a strange artist finds sudden inspiration; as a failed writer turns to Detroit for salvation. These characters' stories are interwoven, but not 'seamlessly' -- that is to say, the novel jumps between perspectives and times. While it does not suit some, I found this to be the perfect way of telling the story, as some Frankenstein-esque being of different limbs that come together to form a fully functioning body.

One of the things that I loved most about this book is all the extraneous detail. There are subplots that don't mean too much to the main storyline, but that doesn't matter, because they really show how messy life is. I also really enjoyed the setting -- the description of a decrepit Detroit -- and Beukes brief discussions of racism, rape culture, and art vs "art."

The only thing I didn't like about the book was the very end, which seemed so climactic it veered very slightly toward cliché. With that being said, it didn't fully take away my enjoyment of the book, and I still recommend it to anyone who enjoys either genre. I really hope that the rumours that this will become a movie prove to be true!

Started: October 4, 2014
Finished: October 12, 2014

Rating: 8/10


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Broken Monsters eBook Lauren Beukes Reviews

My book club read this book for October -- it was our scary pick. I only read the first third, then I went out to Goodreads and read the reviews to find out what happened.

It seemed to me like the author was taking really uncomfortable liberties with mental illness (even if it was supernatural in the end). These days we know so much more about the mind it seems lazy or ignorant to have a character with a mental illness that is so incredibly over the top and ridiculous; it's like reading a thriller from 40 years ago.

My annoyance about that character made it so I couldn't really care about the other characters, which is why I only read ~1/3 of the book.

1/2 my book group liked it, maybe 1/4 were impartial, and 1/4 didn't like it for varied reasons.
Broken Monsters is an entertaining and interesting read, that much is sure. However, the novel is held back by a number of different flaws and an ending that while overall decent, leaves much to be desired, bringing down what was otherwise an exciting and rewarding novel.

Lauren Beukes novel is largely a crime, cop vs. killer "thriller" that takes place in the broken streets of Detroit. The premise involves a killer mutilating corpses into human-animal hybrids and leaving his victims around the city as art pieces in an attempt to garner attention to his deeds. The protagonists of the story, including Gabi, a veteran detective who attempts to decipher the killer's messages; Layla, Gabi's daughter; TK, a wanderer through the streets of Detroit, and Jonno, a washed-up reporter hoping to make it big, are all pulled into what is overall a satisfying read that is held back by a number of larger issues that inhibit the story's potential.

Broken Monsters is largely made out to be a supernatural horror/thriller. I should preface this section by saying that I have yet to read anything in which I am legitimately frightened, and thus may be biased. While the story itself is usually tense and the killer is perhaps the most interesting character of the bunch and legitimately threatening, there were no times when I was scared for the fate of any of the characters. Calling it a thriller is also a bit of a stretch, due to this fact, as it is not until towards the end that any of the primary characters are put in a very threatening situation. Granted, the second half is captivating and definitely builds up to be suspenseful, which drew me in. In terms of horror, however, what is achieved by the novel is creepy at best, but isn't quite deserving of the 'horrifying'. Similarly, the supernatural elements are almost out of place and in my opinion are poorly planned, as it isn't until towards the end that anything roughly supernatural begins to take place, and ultimately these elements confuse and muddle what could have been a fantastic and satisfying ending. Frankly, what was achieved was a somewhat messy, overdrawn and bizarre conclusion that ultimately fails to suspend disbelief. The supernatural elements are open-ended however, which makes up for it a bit depending on interpretation.

Overall, the characters are split down the middle on likabiltiy and often necessity. Gabi, or Detective Versado, is a strong, if not somewhat overdone, authority figure who has a complicated family life and carries the weight of the job on her shoulders. She is a nice piece of the puzzle, and serves as an overall solid protagonist. I also found myself very invested in TK, as his placed importance on family and friends paired with a greyed moral compass and a tragic backstory made for a lovable and relatable man who is merely struggling in rough economic times. I found Layla, the detective's daughter, necessary to Gabi's behavior, though her side-story with her friend Cas (who is almost 'too' cool) largely unnecessary and doesn't particular have any sort of relation to the overall plot, definitely not worthy of mention as one of the strong points of the book like the back cover would have you to believe. As for the journalist, Jonno, I almost despised him in the beginning and was neutral about him in the end. Maybe it was that I found him to be sort of a hack (although he does have a fairly good backstory and motivation), but I really didn't care for him. The killer was a solid villain in my opinion, tying together sick tendencies with a desire for fame, though his development does suffer from the supernatural aspects, particularly towards the end.

Overall, Broken Monsters is an entertaining read, though not a serious thriller or deserving of award. The story slugs a bit through the third or half, but is actually captivating up to the conclusion. The writing style is a bit casual for my tastes, and often Beukes throws needless cultural references in, as if to say "look at how hip and modern I am," but it generally works in such a modern setting. The characters are a bit underdeveloped, but those who are fleshed out have exciting backstories and proper motivation (even Jonno, admittedly). It is a 3.5/5 novel that could have been a solid crime novel with more refinement and the supernatural portions done away with entirely, as the 'magic' ultimately clouds the ending in an obstructive haze that diminishes what otherwise could have been a satisfying conclusion to what was otherwise a decent, largely captivating read, at least in the second half.
A very original novel in the oft-repeated serial killer genre that crosses into the realm of the supernatural. Detroit homicide detective Gabriella Versado is trying to hunt down a vicious serial killer who makes horrific artistic tableaus out of his victims while also trying to watch over her vigillante teen-age daughter, who has set out to entrap and blackmail pedophiles on-line. The twin narratives intersect for a horrifying conclusion.

Beukes clearly has a talent for suspense and horror, but also has a keen eye for detailing the real-life horror of a deindustrialize city. Detroit, itself, here is a monster of it's own... a city haunted by poverty and violence. This is one of the best Urban Gothic novels in many a year!
I liked the book. As a native Detroiter, I found the efforts to localize the story a bit heavy-handed; it may not strike non-natives the same way. Having just finished the book I'm, at the moment, on the fence how I feel about the genre-blending I went in thinking I was reading a horror novel and experienced an initial letdown at what appeared to be a procedural; it wasn't til far into the book that I got what I came looking for (though to be fair, murder and murderers and murdering are all, by definition, horrors). On the one hand the technique strikes me as fresh/modern seeming, showing authorly independence and freedom, which I'm in full support of. I gather this is a thing LB enjoys doing and it does feel deliberately handled, not like someone had written two pieces they couldn't bear to part with that didn't match up. Still, it felt jarring to me as a reader when I arrived at the seam. Still deciding how I feel about that.
Broken Monsters is both a police procedural and a horror. The body of a boy is found in... an unnatural state, one may say. We watch as a police officer tries to solve the crime; as her teenage daughter makes mistakes that ripple outside of her small world; as a homeless man takes care of those around him, including his closest friend; as a strange artist finds sudden inspiration; as a failed writer turns to Detroit for salvation. These characters' stories are interwoven, but not 'seamlessly' -- that is to say, the novel jumps between perspectives and times. While it does not suit some, I found this to be the perfect way of telling the story, as some Frankenstein-esque being of different limbs that come together to form a fully functioning body.

One of the things that I loved most about this book is all the extraneous detail. There are subplots that don't mean too much to the main storyline, but that doesn't matter, because they really show how messy life is. I also really enjoyed the setting -- the description of a decrepit Detroit -- and Beukes brief discussions of racism, rape culture, and art vs "art."

The only thing I didn't like about the book was the very end, which seemed so climactic it veered very slightly toward cliché. With that being said, it didn't fully take away my enjoyment of the book, and I still recommend it to anyone who enjoys either genre. I really hope that the rumours that this will become a movie prove to be true!

Started October 4, 2014
Finished October 12, 2014

Rating 8/10