Broken Monsters (Reading Group Guide)

Many frequent readers of crime fiction (and I count myself in both these numbers) are over the mad serial killer sub-genre. This could make the opening monologue of BROKEN MONSTERS something that makes you put down the book and step away. Whilst the subject matter remains confrontational, often times surreal and vaguely supernatural, there are other aspects worth considering. We all know the story of the rise and decline of Detroit – from economic power-house to basket-case in a very short period of time. The resulting population decline left decaying buildings and a society going the same way. That community turning to artistic and counter-culture movements as a way of invigorating the place makes enormous sense and the sense of reality and immediacy with which Beukes brings that setting, and those people into this storyline is strong, and utterly believable. The depravity of the killer's actions, and the sheer madness of his reasoning and behaviour is somehow reflected by the environment. Society goes mad and loses it's compass along with some of the more vulnerable individuals in it. Not to say that there's any apology for Clayton Broom, this reads more as an exploration of breakdown, damage, extremities. Needless to say it makes for uncomfortable and confrontational reading. The violence is explicit, the methods of killing shocking, and the ramp up of tension palpable. Written with no holds barred, Beukes manages to avoid glorifying any of it, whilst portraying the weirdness. That sense of damage and struggle is evident in just about everybody in this book. No-one has had an easy path to their present circumstances in Detroit, and whilst there are some good people – each of them has baggage. A situation they are dealing with. Something they are trying to make the best of. As a central character, Detective Gabi Versado, amongst a lot of other heavy lifting is single mother to a teenage daughter. Despite a pretty good relationship, albeit one that's fraught with the difficulties of mothers and teenage daughters, teenagers will be teenagers. Which these days, has online implications. The portrayals of daughter Layla and her friend Caz are strong, and the idea that two young girls would set out to “catfish” some lowlifes on the internet particularly poignant to be reading about in October 2014. Especially when revelations about Caz's own cyber-bullying experience come to light. All of this is delivered with the extra component of “ruin porn” and an alternative view of the online world, in the character of Jonno. Attempting to leverage an online presence into an influential journalistic voice, Jonno and his girlfriend lose their way, their perspective and a lot more to boot. Taking on the mad, extreme serial killer motif and placing that in a society that is struggling doesn't excuse the behaviour, but it does attempt to provide some context, and some reasons. Weaving in some salient points about the perils of online presence, BROKEN MONSTERS might not be the easiest read in the world, but it is less of a serial killer expose and a lot more about about damage and society on the extremes. [...]

Lauren Beukes has been churning out some very interesting novels over the past few years and unfortunately (for me!)I have not read her earlier books. Often described as “quirky”, “Scary as Hell and Hypnotic” by the “Kings” of Horror writing -Pretty heavy-duty endorsements! So If you like your spine-chilling horror stories, then Lauren Beukes should probably figure in your top 5 writers. Right up there with Stephen King and James Elroy. I decided to dive straight into her latest book, Broken Monsters without letting the blurbs carry me away on the wings of soaring expectations. By the time I was about 10% into this twisted exploration of a broken modern-day society set in decrepit Detroit that I knew nothing about, I was sold. Both on the terrifying premise of the story and her terrific storytelling abilities. And while yes, Lauren begs comparisons to the established greats of this genre, she definitely is striking out her own blazing path here. Broken Monsters is the latest in that growing list of achievements. The characters of the book (And they are many!) are all so disturbingly real, broken and flawed in many ways like you and me – that you easily relate to them. Immersing us into a desolate atmospheric Detroit where most of the action takes place over a week, Lauren takes us on a tense creepy-as-hell tour of the weird and intriguing. Her writing is flawless – firmly drawing us into the murky murder mystery of a horrific nature that rocks the city of Detroit. The book starts with the discovery of a dead body – a sickening handiwork where the upper torso of an African-American boy has been glued to the lower half of a deer. Now if you cannot stomach gruesome murder descriptions, then I’d suggest caution. Coz Lauren deftly paints up a bleak picture of the murder scene, gruesome and horrifying, the first of many such blood splashed tableau; a possible handiwork of a deranged psycho killer out on the loose. This book thus is at heart a serial-killer chase - a detailed police-procedural with Detective Gabriella Versado, one of the leading characters in the book obsessively working the clues to get to the murderer – but what really shines amidst this excess of violence and gore – is Lauren’s handling of her main characters. The tumbling thoughts, the confusions and constant struggle within each of her lead character (It’s amazing how easy her writing is, letting us deep inside their heads!) is really what holds this story together. Transforming it from a taut and bloody serial-killer chase into a much more scary and a deeply psychological horror story. Lauren doesn’t build up the tension to a grand expose as would be expected. Instead from pretty early on itself, we are privy to the dark recesses of the minds of the killer. In a way, this is a far more effective tool; talk about being insanely talented. Hats off Lauren. So the tragic crumbling city of Detroit in its forgotten glory of the ruins and the wannabe-hipster-art ambitions is a towering presence throughout the book - the main plot is told through multiple POVs – We encounter Detective Gabbi obsessed with this curious case, her precocious daughter Layla struggling with the usual issues of a teenager( acceptance, friendship, identity crisis, internet addiction…Frankly in Layla and her best friend Cas Lauren beautifully explores the insecurities of childhood and navigating the high school in the age of Internet trawling. Personally for me their chapters were a tour-de-force, , a very compelling read, authoritatively portrayed!), a failed writer Jonno Haim in search of his big break roaming the pubs and art-parties of Detroit [Using him as a foil to take satirical digs at societal norms and aspirations around art!) A homeless man called TK in search of an abandoned house-articles that he can salvage to build a home for himself and Clayton – a restless artist/sculptor who has fallen out of grace with the art community in Detroit and is struggling with his own personal demons. I say it again. Lauren Beukes can really write. And convey horror – in its purest and most chilling form. A deep-seated unsettling feeling that crawls up your back and lodges itself firmly in the back of your head. Broken Monsters is a “shining” example of Lauren’s abilities – with a prose honed to razor sharpness leaping between exuberant and addictive, this book is a telling exploration of the dark inside all of us in today’s society. Dark and utterly absorbing, Broken Monsters for me is the “doorway” to Lauren Beukes’ world. I got Shining Girls and Zooland next up!

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.

Beukes is a talented writer and I'm definitely interested in her other work. Broken Monsters is a slightly challenging but ultimately fun read. The first 80% of the story is a police procedural and the final 20% switches to horror/supernatural. It may be unfair to the reader that the supernatural goings on are barely hinted at for most of the book as the killer just seems delusional. It's understandable that many may find the genre turn toward the end unappealing. But it transitions easily and avoids a typical/predictable catch-the-killer ending. I found it suspenseful and entertaining. It takes a little patience to get to know each of the characters-Gabi the detective, Layla the daughter who (of course) gets herself in too deep with a creep, Jonno the aspiring journalist, TK the street guardian, the killer, and a few other supporting characters-and ride out their subplots until they start connecting. But the story is never dull or slow. I'd recommend to anyone who enjoys both serial killer/police procedural and horror.

Wow. This was such a crazy, interesting take on the serial killer thriller. It’s a multi-narrative book, so it took some time to get acquainted with each character and his or her storyline, but once I got going, I didn’t want to put it down. Broken Monsters is about a killer in Detroit who turns his victims into grotesque works of art. But there’s something mysterious fueling his vision, as he’s possessed by an eerie force that has inhabited his body – a force that’s driving him to create a masterpiece that thrives off of being seen and threatens to invade our collective conscious. If that sounds weird, it’s because it is. But Beukes manages to keep the story grounded enough in reality that it never feels silly. Her characters are believable, interesting and each relevant in ways that gradually become apparent. Ultimately, Beukes has created a fresh thriller for the social media generation: a desensitized, fame-obsessed culture of clickbait headlines, virality and 15 seconds of fame. There are those who believe that art is meaningless without an audience, and Broken Monsters uses this concept as a sort of commentary on our culture, challenging us to weigh the potential consequences of being seen.

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

BROKEN MONSTERS [2014] By Lauren Beukes My Review 2.4 Stars I happened across this book in an article I had been skimming posted on Murder-Mayhem.com entitled “12 Thrilling Mystery Novels with Badass Female Protagonists”. Lauren Beukes was a “new-to-me” author but the description sounded intriguing and like a storyline that was right down my alley. The novel had also been a Goodreads Choice Award Nominee. Then there was also a gripping endorsement by the King of Horror "Scary as hell and hypnotic. I couldn't put it down...I'd grab it if I were you." -- Stephen King I purchased the novel and started reading it late last month. How could I go wrong? I expected to really like book and moreover I truly wanted to like the book. The macabre murder scene at the beginning of the story was horrifyingly original, and hooked my attention instantly and completely. The young male murder victim literally presented as half human corpse and half animal carcass. Specifically, the remains of the teenager were only half boy and the lower half wild deer, the parts somehow fused together. The backdrop of the narrative is the dichotomy of Detroit with its rot and decay alongside its manifestations of modern industry and architecture. Detroit is also ranked #4 in the murder statistics of all major cities in the United States. However, despite the horror of the discovery of the mutilated corpse and the atmospheric background of the dregs of Detroit I was unable to relate to the main protagonist Detective Gabriella (“Gabi”) Versado. Conversely, the writing style was easy to read, articulate and not without wit and snappy dialogue. The police procedural aspects were interesting and the forensics involving the murder unique. The “Meat Glue”, and its origin stemming from fancy concepts in the science of gastronomy and the art of cooking is an example. The fact I didn’t like Versado as a sympathetic lead character was only compounded by the subplot detailing the annoying to frankly dangerous antics of her bi-racial daughter Layla (“Lay”) and her partner-in-chaos the mysterious “Cas”. The main momentum of the police investigation is routinely rudely interrupted to elucidate on Layla’s teenage angst and the ongoing shenanigans of Lay and her disturbed, insanely risk-taking best friend Cassandra. A linear time line may (or may not have) saved this novel from alternately annoying me and putting me to sleep. The alternating chapters with snappy titles gradually unravel or unpack the plot to include the goings on in the lives of a heavyset aging black homeless man named TK and his circle of friends, a hapless unsympathetic skirt chaser named Jonno and his new DJ girlfriend the pretty Jen, and of course our villain, the creator of the bizarre murder tableaus confounding the Detroit Police Department. The flow of the narrative is “stop and go”, convoluted, and simply difficult to struggle through and retain any semblance of desire to continue the journey. The narrative is so doggone disjointed with the author going on detours and tangents that reading it literally had a sedating effect. I read before bedtime and it took me a total of seven days to make it through to the end of the book. The subplots in this (what is initially a crime fiction thriller) are all over the map. “TK” (Thomas Michael Keen) the black homeless guy, is the only sympathetic character in the whole book. The “doer”, one pathetic loner who isn’t playing with a full deck, is named Clayton Broom, and he inspires pity rather than chilling horror. We meet the disillusioned Clayton as he stalks the girl he loves and her little boy until he ultimately tracks them down homeless and living out of a vehicle. Clayton knows that he and “Lou” (a drunken one night stand that Lou clearly regrets) are meant to be a family, and he calculates that the little boy Charlie is his own son based upon the date of the birth of the baby and the timing of his one-time tryst with the birth mother. Lou is smart enough (or stupid enough) to set the tenacious Clayton straight, and flees with the little boy at her earliest opportunity. The surprise getaway only makes Clayton dig his heels in and chase down the fleeing mother and child in his vehicle with no thoughts to speed or safe pursuit. It’s obvious that Lou is afraid of Clayton and is aware that he is a powder keg filled to the brim with crazy. The additional storyline which features the unlikeable if not simply despicable, spineless and dishonest Jonno just takes up space. An attractive young DJ named Jen somehow becomes one of his drunken conquests and although he is cognizant that she is out of his league he pretty much begs whoever oversees such things to make her give him the time of day. Surprisingly, Jen does get involved with this loser and when the horrific murder makes the news, he fancies himself becoming a freelance journalist with he, the amazing Jonno narrating the storyline and Jen working the angles behind the camera lens. The narrative unfolds against the backdrop of “Detroit diamonds” (what the locals call the blue glass on the street from broken car windows). It roused me from dozing when the author would meander back from all the side roads and get back to business with the main story line of the unique murder and posing of the victim. Do you know how that sometimes you can pinpoint exactly when you lost all respect for a main detective, a seasoned homicide cop leading a bizarre serial murder case? Yes, I realize that it usually occurs gradually and you just eventually realize the truth. In my case I know the moment. The detectives were mulling around discussing the investigation and any viable leads that may have surfaced. The method of death has been isolated to a nail gun or a similar device, perhaps one like was used to kill the doomed animals in the slaughter house. Then, the lead detective Gabriella Versado asks her fellow detectives the question: “How hard is it to get a nail gun?” Of course, one of the detectives in attendance simply responds that nail guns were plentiful at all the nearby hardware stores. Can anybody say Wal-Mart, Lowe’s etc.? The various subplots that are running parallel to the murder investigation and Versado’s tracking of a serial killer gradually intersect with one another. The reader is detecting the signs that there may be something supernatural afoot. “Ghost Doors” rendered in chalk are springing up all over town. Clayton Bloom’s psyche continues to gradually disintegrate as the novel advances, and the character’s grip on reality was tenuous at best at the beginning of the story. The author introduces a supernatural element to the plot which escalates in its scope and power until the action-packed gunfight at the abandoned body plant at the end of the book. Initially the paranormal element is tantamount to a mass hysteria effect characterized by various characters hallucinating with an inability to ascertain the point where imagination ends and reality begins. Ultimately though we have characters flinging themselves through graffiti Ghost Doors into alternate dimensions where tattoos can spring to life and brutally slaughter the tatted. There is the high point of the only sympathetic character TK psychically “commanding” the chairs like a “Dream Warrior” from the Nightmare on Elm Street franchise. Disappointingly, this novel was not an original serial killer thriller because of the infusion of the supernatural forces that drove the killer and inhabited his physical form. There is no question that all of the supernatural elements were detrimental to what might have been a straightforward excursion into hell led by a disillusioned, demented, and hopelessly delusional outcast that created his own conception of reality with his other worldly works of art. The author’s nomadic narrative detracted from what could have been a linear, captivating and well-paced story line that led the investigative forces of the police to the identity of the albeit beyond the pale psychotic serial murderer. Nope. There was none of that. This novel was a first for me in that I forced myself to finish it. It’s not the first time I cringed my way to the end of a book but in these other isolated cases I wanted to get to the end to write a scathing review. In this case that isn’t my motivation. I am altogether surprised and also disappointed that I feel so letdown by this reading experience. I genuinely wanted to like and to recommend the book to others.

For me the novel was a slow starter but as I kept reading I realized I have just been watching way too much true crime on the darn ID channel and characters in literature are less predictable than the villainous murderers denounced by TV narrators. After the first 40% of lonely single mom, rebellious teen, scorned lover drivel this book became a page turner! A frightening uncomfortable page turner.....like for real scurry dawg. It's a tale of a serial killer who kinda has "the shine" like Danny Torrance but may also just be possessed and susceptible to mental illness but then definitely not just run of the mill psycho. The killer is like silence of the lambs only without agoraphobia. I had nightmares about fighting my way out of abandoned warehouses because I was reckless enough to read this in bed. Only critique is the ending has an unexpected and poorly explained heroine and an unnecessary/tiresome foray into teenage angst riddled with the pitfalls of social media. I suppose when you involve supernatural nastiness in a serial killer tale though anybody could save the day.