Scan barcode
branwynnemay's review against another edition
4.25
Looking forward to reading more work by Beukes now! Solid, very scary and I really liked the characters.
sandygx260's review against another edition
3.0
After reading an interview with Lauren Beukes conducted by author Jeff Vandemeer, I grabbed “Broken Monsters” from the library. The storyline reminded me of one of my favorite Bowie albums, “Outside” which deals with investigating art murders.
The first chapter detailing the discovery of the child fawn art murder is a kicker. Unfortunately the storyline starts fragmenting, introducing many characters and POVs. I wanted to know more about the art murder, but Beukes teases me. The weird randomness to the initial plot is irritating.
Leading the main cast is Detective Gabi Versado, a harried divorcee working the horrific murder case while she worries about her daughter Layla, a too smart for her own good teenage trouble magnet. Jonno Haim is a failed writer who thinks the world of himself, seeking the fifteen minutes of fame he knows he deserves. Homeless man TK shot his mother’s murder when he was 14, but after a rough life abused by the “system” now he works with a church group. Marcus Brown, an eager young policeman, discovers the first art mutilation victim and ends up working with Detective Versado. Clayton Broom is a frustrated outsider artist who is about to experience a nasty creative epiphany. You know their storylines will converge.
Wait, the city of Detroit is also a pivotal main character. Beukes uses the decayed Motor City with great skill. I can’t imagine this story set anywhere else. It needs the city’s ruin porn backdrop.
Secondary characters pop in and out of the mix—some should wear red shirts ala “Star Trek” victims.
Around page 85, the plot stops wandering. The characters start developing solid personalities. I give the story high marks for the character development, although the ridiculous blogger Haim transforms from annoying to insufferable. The decline suits his narcissist nature.
The book turns into a cliché-page turner, delivering shocks and jolts as we follow the mentally unraveling Bloom down his twisted creative path. He splinters, cracks, dissolving into total insanity. Detective Versado suffers personal and professional trauma, unable to solve the case or give Layla the attention she needs. Emotions crumble exactly like the Detroit backdrop.
A scene involving Layla at something titled the Dream House art exhibit will spike your blood pressure. Beukes delivers nasty slaps to the brain, upping the tension in a fine fashion.
On page 374, a brief, nonsensical moment jars the reader. Surely this is just a blip, since the following scenes provide solid tension.
But on page 387, a serious what the fuck moment derails the story. The sad thing is once the story derails, it jumps the track and skids into the forest. Wait, Bloom isn’t a frustrated outsider artist turned deranged serial killer due to constant rejection in both the professional and personal realm? Instead he’s possessed by what, the spirit of abandonment ruling Detroit which craves social media attention to satisfy its overwhelming need to release broken dreams?
What the fuck? I will also say cop out. Why the sudden need to inject a dose of the paranormal into the already riveting story? Why? No lie, one scene in the factory made me laugh. Laughing during such a pivotal moment took me right out of the story.
It’s been a while since a novel’s ending has frustrated me this badly. The shame is the writing is top-notch. Each character has a distinctive voice. Descriptions and emotions are superb, but once our brave cast enters the factory, Beukes pulls a bait and switch act. The few chapters after the factory nonsense never recover.
Buekes’s writing skills convince me to try her other novels. I’ll chalk this one up to a failed experimental ending.
A pity.
The beginning I gave a two, the bulk of the book deserves a five, but those last pages are one star all the way.
The first chapter detailing the discovery of the child fawn art murder is a kicker. Unfortunately the storyline starts fragmenting, introducing many characters and POVs. I wanted to know more about the art murder, but Beukes teases me. The weird randomness to the initial plot is irritating.
Leading the main cast is Detective Gabi Versado, a harried divorcee working the horrific murder case while she worries about her daughter Layla, a too smart for her own good teenage trouble magnet. Jonno Haim is a failed writer who thinks the world of himself, seeking the fifteen minutes of fame he knows he deserves. Homeless man TK shot his mother’s murder when he was 14, but after a rough life abused by the “system” now he works with a church group. Marcus Brown, an eager young policeman, discovers the first art mutilation victim and ends up working with Detective Versado. Clayton Broom is a frustrated outsider artist who is about to experience a nasty creative epiphany. You know their storylines will converge.
Wait, the city of Detroit is also a pivotal main character. Beukes uses the decayed Motor City with great skill. I can’t imagine this story set anywhere else. It needs the city’s ruin porn backdrop.
Secondary characters pop in and out of the mix—some should wear red shirts ala “Star Trek” victims.
Around page 85, the plot stops wandering. The characters start developing solid personalities. I give the story high marks for the character development, although the ridiculous blogger Haim transforms from annoying to insufferable. The decline suits his narcissist nature.
The book turns into a cliché-page turner, delivering shocks and jolts as we follow the mentally unraveling Bloom down his twisted creative path. He splinters, cracks, dissolving into total insanity. Detective Versado suffers personal and professional trauma, unable to solve the case or give Layla the attention she needs. Emotions crumble exactly like the Detroit backdrop.
A scene involving Layla at something titled the Dream House art exhibit will spike your blood pressure. Beukes delivers nasty slaps to the brain, upping the tension in a fine fashion.
On page 374, a brief, nonsensical moment jars the reader. Surely this is just a blip, since the following scenes provide solid tension.
But on page 387, a serious what the fuck moment derails the story. The sad thing is once the story derails, it jumps the track and skids into the forest. Wait, Bloom isn’t a frustrated outsider artist turned deranged serial killer due to constant rejection in both the professional and personal realm? Instead he’s possessed by what, the spirit of abandonment ruling Detroit which craves social media attention to satisfy its overwhelming need to release broken dreams?
What the fuck? I will also say cop out. Why the sudden need to inject a dose of the paranormal into the already riveting story? Why? No lie, one scene in the factory made me laugh. Laughing during such a pivotal moment took me right out of the story.
It’s been a while since a novel’s ending has frustrated me this badly. The shame is the writing is top-notch. Each character has a distinctive voice. Descriptions and emotions are superb, but once our brave cast enters the factory, Beukes pulls a bait and switch act. The few chapters after the factory nonsense never recover.
Buekes’s writing skills convince me to try her other novels. I’ll chalk this one up to a failed experimental ending.
A pity.
The beginning I gave a two, the bulk of the book deserves a five, but those last pages are one star all the way.
lakinlindsey's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
ayykath's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
This white author uses the N word while writing in the POV of a black man. And then AGAIN with a hard R as a racist man... I don't think white people should ever have a pass to say that word but after reading Goodreads reviews I seem to be the only one upset about it.
hanyaya's review against another edition
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Leila's parts read like that Hello Fellow Children meme. The climactic genre twist was a swing and a miss, and I would have liked it better without the supernatural stuff. Additionally, I found the conversational use of racial slurs by a white author, even if in Black characters' mouths, to be inappropriate and unnecessary.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Racial slurs, Police brutality, Sexual assault, Bullying, Murder, Body horror, and Gore
Moderate: Pedophilia
Minor: Miscarriage
robynmarisa_'s review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
barefootmegz's review against another edition
4.0
FULL REVIEW WITH PICTURES AND QUOTES ON MY BLOG.
Lauren Beukes is pretty much on my auto-buy list (I mean, if I had the means to have an auto-buy list). I own most of her books, including her out-of-print Maverick, and Broken Monsters will soon be added.
Granted, I first read Beukes’ Zoo City (my review) because she is a great South African author and because her South African fiction is just out of this world. But just as she crosses the boundaries of genres and mashes together concepts that other authors can’t successfully do, she is crossing the boundaries of description.
The Shining Girls and now Broken Monsters have proven her mettle as a writer. They say “write what you know” – Beukes is from neither Chicago nor Detroit, but in both cases she did her research so well that the places became tangible. Her twitter followers are also pretty familiar with her escapades to the settings of her books – I seem to remember her once tweeting about shadowing a Detroit undertaker for a day. (This BookD podcast with Beukes is totally worth the listen – do it!)
As for the story: I’ll admit that I was unsure at first that I would read it. As I repeatedly say, I’m a major scaredy-cat. Anyway, I read it. After the description of the first victim – right at the beginning of the book – I was a little spooked. I decided then that I would only read the book in the daylight. (That helped.) But then, the book is not really thaaaaaat scary. It is touted as a thriller, but the killer is revealed pretty early on in the plot (and it is done purposefully).
So what you should know about Broken Monsters is that you cannot take it at face value. Beukes is a genius, and everything she writes about has a purpose – and the purpose is not confined to “being thrilling”. As fantastic as her writing is – honest, tangible, raw – it is also a commentary. Commentary on technology, on art and artists, on the evil that can grow from our dreams. Commentary on the power an audience gives to a creation – a hope, a desire.
The disturbing imagery is not confined to bodies (but I will leave you to discover that yourself). Despite that – or perhaps because of it – I think this would be a fantastic book to discuss in an undergrad class. I feel the need to read this again, with guidance from and discussion with other readers. It is incredible reading it for “just reading”, but I get the feeling there is even more waiting beneath the surface.
Of course, I should warn that it might upset sensitive readers – but you’ll know from the full blurb whether you can handle it. What I appreciate is that Beukes approaches the gruesomeness with a lot of respect. You don’t get the sense of some kind of macabre pleasure that one sometimes sees in horror/thriller type books. As somebody who has lost loved ones to violence, that distinction means a lot.
Like many of Beukes’ books, Broken Monsters is told in multiple POVs. Not first-person POVs though, and this “deviation” gives it a distinct atmosphere. The characterisation is great, so there is no confusion, but I must admit that I didn’t feel as attracted to these characters as in previous books. Of course, it is a myth that a good character must be a likable one!
As for the covers… I feel kind of meh about the USA and UK covers. The SA cover (up top) is the best of the lot for me – detailed and artsy and me likey.
Overall, I found this to be a gripping and disturbing read – for more reasons than the obvious.
I received an eARC of this book via Netgalley and Mulholland Books in exchange for an honest review. This has not biased my review.
Lauren Beukes is pretty much on my auto-buy list (I mean, if I had the means to have an auto-buy list). I own most of her books, including her out-of-print Maverick, and Broken Monsters will soon be added.
Granted, I first read Beukes’ Zoo City (my review) because she is a great South African author and because her South African fiction is just out of this world. But just as she crosses the boundaries of genres and mashes together concepts that other authors can’t successfully do, she is crossing the boundaries of description.
The Shining Girls and now Broken Monsters have proven her mettle as a writer. They say “write what you know” – Beukes is from neither Chicago nor Detroit, but in both cases she did her research so well that the places became tangible. Her twitter followers are also pretty familiar with her escapades to the settings of her books – I seem to remember her once tweeting about shadowing a Detroit undertaker for a day. (This BookD podcast with Beukes is totally worth the listen – do it!)
As for the story: I’ll admit that I was unsure at first that I would read it. As I repeatedly say, I’m a major scaredy-cat. Anyway, I read it. After the description of the first victim – right at the beginning of the book – I was a little spooked. I decided then that I would only read the book in the daylight. (That helped.) But then, the book is not really thaaaaaat scary. It is touted as a thriller, but the killer is revealed pretty early on in the plot (and it is done purposefully).
So what you should know about Broken Monsters is that you cannot take it at face value. Beukes is a genius, and everything she writes about has a purpose – and the purpose is not confined to “being thrilling”. As fantastic as her writing is – honest, tangible, raw – it is also a commentary. Commentary on technology, on art and artists, on the evil that can grow from our dreams. Commentary on the power an audience gives to a creation – a hope, a desire.
The disturbing imagery is not confined to bodies (but I will leave you to discover that yourself). Despite that – or perhaps because of it – I think this would be a fantastic book to discuss in an undergrad class. I feel the need to read this again, with guidance from and discussion with other readers. It is incredible reading it for “just reading”, but I get the feeling there is even more waiting beneath the surface.
Of course, I should warn that it might upset sensitive readers – but you’ll know from the full blurb whether you can handle it. What I appreciate is that Beukes approaches the gruesomeness with a lot of respect. You don’t get the sense of some kind of macabre pleasure that one sometimes sees in horror/thriller type books. As somebody who has lost loved ones to violence, that distinction means a lot.
Like many of Beukes’ books, Broken Monsters is told in multiple POVs. Not first-person POVs though, and this “deviation” gives it a distinct atmosphere. The characterisation is great, so there is no confusion, but I must admit that I didn’t feel as attracted to these characters as in previous books. Of course, it is a myth that a good character must be a likable one!
As for the covers… I feel kind of meh about the USA and UK covers. The SA cover (up top) is the best of the lot for me – detailed and artsy and me likey.
Overall, I found this to be a gripping and disturbing read – for more reasons than the obvious.
I received an eARC of this book via Netgalley and Mulholland Books in exchange for an honest review. This has not biased my review.
justjussy__'s review against another edition
Already lost in less than twenty pages. No thanks.
alexandrabree's review against another edition
5.0
This is probably one of the coolest novels I have read in a very long time.
I wasn't sure what to think going into this, I had read the rave reviews and it has come up on my recommended shelf a few times; it was Stephen Kings review that gave me the final nudge into reading the book though!
Original, thrilling, beautiful, haunting
A must read novel for sure
I wasn't sure what to think going into this, I had read the rave reviews and it has come up on my recommended shelf a few times; it was Stephen Kings review that gave me the final nudge into reading the book though!
Original, thrilling, beautiful, haunting
A must read novel for sure