I love my local library. They have some kind of genius putting books on the "Hey Look at This" rack. Because the other day, I just wandered in for a cookbook (organic, farmer's market, locavore, any suggestions?) and walked out with this: Sharp Teeth
Wow. What a great book.
First things first. I like the cover. It's red. (Don't judge)
AND. The back. Full of interesting quotes from Famous People. Brief blurb about something, blah, blah, lycanthropes, blah Los Angeles, blah, WAIT! WHAT'S THIS? "...lovesick dogcatcher...object of his affections....female werewolf...." Holy Shit! That sounds a lot more interesting that another fucking story about some lady disappointed by middle age.
So Sharp Teeth and I have a brief discussion which culminates in it going home with me. At the first available moment, I plop into my comfy chair, open the book and find...
free verse.
Wha...? I flip to the middle. More verse. Toward the end. Still verse.
Are you fucking kidding me? A poem? The book is a free-fucking-verse poem? I'm possibly the only literature major in existence that can't stand poetry. (Really. I really hate poetry, because how fucking hard is it to write a complete sentence? See, I just did it.)
Shit. Seriously, I almost stop right there. Because, who has time for a poem? There are plenty of books out there that I could read that DON'T include even the tiniest bit of verse. But, because I'm feeling ornery, I go ahead and read the first page.
By the second page, I'm hooked.
I really, really like this book. The ideas are fresh, and the characters are interesting, if somewhat shallow. But hey, there are plenty of people writing novels full of prose who have poorly fleshed out characters (Hello, Laurel K. Hamilton). But most important, the pacing is the BOMB. In the afterword (which is fucking hilarious and equally as fun as the book itself) Toby Barlow says that he based the pacing on the Pixies formula of soft LOUD soft.
And much like the Pixies, it works. And also like the Pixies, you may get a little confused about what's being said, but the ride is SO MUCH FUN.
Brief (I know, too late) synopsis: Dogcatcher falls in love with female werewolf who has run away from a bad pack situation. Various plans, plots and motives converge to try the two lovers. What will be their fate? The tale also includes sex, meth, bridge (the card game) tournaments, dog fights, amputations, and very suspicious dog behavior.
So, in conclusion, if you like dogs, werewolves, the Pixies, supernatural romance/sex, or books that have red covers, you may well enjoy this book.
4/5
