It would be difficult to not be intrigued by a novel that promises to weave together the stories of a sea monster, a genealogist, and the thinly disguised works of James Fenimore Cooper. The Monsters of Templeton by Lauren Groff combines these dissimilar elements into the tale of Willie Upton, a graduate student returning to her hometown of Templeton to seek solace after an affair. Once she arrives, however, she discovers that her former nonconformist mother is now born again and that her father (who she never knew) is actually a prominent citizen of Templeton--but which one is he? Willie’s search for her father’s identity reveals many kinds of monsters in her town and in her family’s past.
Being a big genealogy buff, I was instantly drawn to this book when I discovered it on the website http://www.goodreads.com/. What was even more impressive was just how well first time author Groff developed her characters, even including a very substantial “history” for Willie’s family members complete with photographs.
--Lesley Daley
Reference Librarian
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