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Product Description
Review
'One of the most imaginative, quirky and emotionally devastating novels I’ve read in a long while.' — Globe and Mail
'Spellbinding and playful ... A stylistic tour de force.' — National Post
'Mayr has crafted a thoughtful tale examining how the death of one person can have ripple effects even on people who didn't know the deceased. Effectively portraying a range of ages, emotions, genders, and motivations, Mayr quickly engages readers.' — Publishers Weekly
'Bold and assured ... a complex and moving novel deserving of a large and attentive readership.' — Quill & Quire
Book Description
‘Spellbinding and playful ... A stylistic tour de force.’ – National Post
‘Monoceros is one of the most imaginative, quirky and emotionally devastating novels I’ve read in a long while.’– Zoe Whittall, Globe and Mail‘
'[A] smart and difficult tale about grief and acceptance ... [Monoceros] just might be the most important book you read.' – CBC Books
'In a tragedy laced with humour, Mayr engages readers with her meticulous attention to detail, providing vivid descriptions of not only her characters, but also the heavy emotions ... churning inside them.’ – This Magazine
‘[A] complex and moving novel deserving of a large and attentive readership.’ – Quill and Quire
‘Ms. Mayr’s characterizations are second to none and she has a wonderful wit. [Monoceros] should be on all school curricula.’ – Winnipeg Review
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Most helpful customer reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
great read,
This review is from: Monoceros (Paperback)
Monoceros is an emotionally evocative book about a school community reacting to the suicide of a bullied gay teenager. It's a realistic look at the high school environment and the relationships within it. The book switches point of view between the dead boy, the uptight principal, the guidance counselor who couldn't talk about being gay, the dead boy's mother, and Faraday, a teenage girl who wonders if she could have saved the dead boy if she had just tried a little harder to be his friend. There is an element of the fantastic, which gives the book a feeling of hope and whimsy.I laughed and cried, sometimes at the same time. I think this is a must read for anyone who has, or has been, a teenager.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
More Bookish Thoughts...,
By
This review is from: Monoceros (Paperback)
"Kids can be so cruel" just about sums up "Monoceros," an imaginative, quirky and emotionally devastating novel set in a Catholic Calgarian high school. The book opens with the voice of the Dead Boy, so bullied by his classmates and ignored by his teachers that he hangs himself by the end of the first chapter. A cast of supremely real students, parents and staff narrate the remainder of Mayr's chapters: a nerdy unicorn-obsessed virgin who served the Dead Boy iced caps, the Dead Boy's secret lover, a newly divorced and frazzled English teacher, the closeted school principal, an incompetent guidance counsellor and, to top it all off, a drag queen.The novel's plot progresses steadily even though most of the action is emotional. Readers witness the characters grieve or refuse to grieve, care or refuse to care, and examine their lives from glass houses. Mayr deftly offers compelling detail both in convincing teen-speak and in the words of burnt-out teachers trying to make it through each day. Unfortunately, the low point of the book comes at the final chapter, where unicorns appear on the scene in a sudden switch to magical realism; the abrupt shift throws the rest of the novel into upheaval. But, at the same time, it may be a fitting way to bring us to the end of a story that will inevitably endure as the fallout from the dead boy's choice reverberates in the psyches of those he left behind.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
3.0 out of 5 stars (1 customer review)
3.0 out of 5 stars
Unique and thought-provoking,
By Allison Collins - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Monoceros (Paperback)
Description:A teen's suicide triggers a community to reflect on its actions. Students, faculty, and family members "tell" their own side of the story, while trying to make sense of a tragedy that could have been avoided. Review: Monoceros is definitely one of the most interesting books I have read in 2012. It is an unexpected and unique take on the aftermath of a homosexual teen's suicide, as told by the students, staff, and family he left behind. At first, I couldn't get past the sentence and grammatical structure of the text, it was choppy and strangely formatted. I did not enjoy the repetitiveness, nor did I favor the total lack of quotation marks. The dashes used made it difficult to determine which individuals were speaking during conversations. I did however appreciate the depth and personalities of the colorful cast of characters; especially Max, Crepe Suzette, Faraday, and Walter. The story-line was well-constructed, honest, and full of emotion. Even though each of the characters only had a small section written in their own perspective, I felt that the mix of thoughts and conversations kept the reader intrigued and sympathetic. I eventually got over most of the punctuation problems, but I still found them annoying. The only other problem I had was with the ending, I found it confusing and unnecessary. The writing itself was intricate, but I couldn't pinpoint the proposed audience. Overall, a strange, yet unique read; still unsure about the unicorn aspect... (no spoilers). Rating: Bounty's Out (3/5) * I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. |
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