Allison’s Book Report: “Little Monsters” by Adrienne Brodeur

My nephews have been staying with us for a few nights this week, and life has certainly been exciting. The whole Cousin Crew is mainly made up of teens, except for the “baby" of the family. Grayson is ten years old and loves playing with the big kids and wrestling with the dogs. To my delight, he loves reading. Yesterday, I was hiding outside with my book when the backdoor creaked open, and out came Grayson, book in hand, also searching for peace. Like Auntie, like nephew, I guess.

“Little Monsters” by Adrienne Brodeur is this week's book about a very complicated family. Ken and Abby Gardner lost their mother shortly after Abby’s birth, and they have been haunted by her ever since. Their father, Adam, a brilliant oceanographer, raised them mostly on his own in their remote home on Cape Cod. As children, the relationship between Ken and Abby deepened into something dark and complicated. As adults, all of that has festered, leaving their relationship strained. Despite it all, the siblings' lives are still deeply entwined. Ken is a successful businessman with big political ambitions and a picture-perfect family. 

Abby is a talented artist, but she is forced to depend on her brother's goodwill because he owns the studio where she lives and works. At the beginning of the summer of 2016, Adam approaches his seventieth birthday and finds himself staring down his mortality and vanishing relevance. His bipolar disorder is usually well managed with medication, but he’s determined to make one last scientific breakthrough in his lifetime. He has secretly stopped taking his pills, which he knows will infuriate his kids. Meanwhile, Abby and Ken are both clinging to some big secrets of their own when a new person, Steph, enters the scene. Steph doesn’t immediately make her connection to the family known, but suddenly, she seems to be everywhere they go. As Adam’s mental health spirals out of control, he grows more attuned to the frequencies of the deep sea and less so to the people around him.

Very character-driven and juicy with emotion and secrets, “Little Monsters” is a twisty family saga I couldn't put down. Brodeur writes about dysfunctional family dynamics and how our childhood shapes us with eloquence and detail, making this novel chock full of food for thought. 
Now, I am off to enjoy my last afternoon on “Auntie Duty," and hopefully, I will get the privilege of catching a few more pages with Grayson. Pop over to my Instagram @allison.the.reader, where I am always excited to chat about books and what you all are reading this week!