Monsters Inc. (Monster Love - Carol Topolski)

Member Name: Foxy-Lady

Product:	Monster Love - Carol Topolski
Date:	06/02/09 (533 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Brilliantly written

Disadvantages: Harrowing subject matter

Brendan and Sherilyn Gutteridge live in the pleasant, affluent area of Tamley in Manchester. They are quite new to their street and prefer to remain private, keeping to themselves a great deal. To everyone else they appear to be the perfect couple...nice house, lovely car, designer clothes, expensive lifestyle and overall, completely immersed in each other and totally, utterly in love.

A child is born. To most people this would be a fabulous occasion, thoroughly cementing the unity of a couple and opening a new chapter in their lives. But the Gutteridge bubble is different. Do they love each other so much that they would be willing to commit the most hideous of crimes?

As a baby, Samantha is seen occasionally but as she grows into a toddler, she is seen less and less. When one of the streets residents reports that she hasn't caught a glimpse of the little girl for a long time, suspicions are raised and a sickening chain of events are uncovered...



Monster Love is not a mystery so don't expect any suspense beyond the first few pages! It becomes apparent very early on in the book exactly what has happened to Samantha. And it's not for the faint hearted. Each and every reader will put the book down in shock, drawing a gasp of air in absolute disbelief. But then intrigue kicks in and this is where the majority of the tale begins, revolving around just one question...'why?'

Carol Topolski presents an unusual literary format in this, her debut novel. Each chapter is written from a different perspective - a device which is used to thoroughly examine the lives of Brendan and Sherilyn. Neighbours, social workers, work colleagues, Police officers, family members and of course, the couple themselves all play an individual narrative part in detailing the events that have happened and the ripple effect that the aftermath of such a horrific crime can have on a community.

You may think that the varying voices would inhibit the book, making it disjointed and somewhat awkward. I found that it is very cleverly structured though. It's well balanced and each chapter flows well, slowly piecing the elements together and also revealing the backgrounds of the Gutteridges. An insight is provided and the reader discovers that the pair are each hiding their own damaged childhood...perhaps offering an explanation as to the origins of their complex behaviour and current psychological states. By no means an excuse for their crimes, it does unearth a feeling of guilt overlapping innocence (and vice-versa) and sympathy for the couple does emerge. This is only possible for a short period though as it becomes clear that they have no perception or acceptance of their actions. In fact, they are almost completely without feeling.

The author currently works as a psychoanalytic psychotherapist with previous roles as a probation officer, film censor and the director of a rape crisis centre. I think she has been massively influenced by her experiences throughout her career - her research in essence - and has drawn from this to successfully create the lead characters in her book. I can imagine that she has met some very unsavoury characters in the past but this has obviously assisted her a great deal in terms of representing someone with a severely damaged psyche.

I must admit that when reading a book I like to get to know particular characters within its pages but the writing style of Monster Love doesn't really allow for this. As each character has only brief chapters they are somewhat under developed and on occasion I was left feeling like I wanted to hear more from that person. Having said that, I think that the multi-voice format (alongside the odd touch of humour) lightened the dark nature of the book to an extent, causing it to be quite a page turner. Considering the heavy and disturbing subject matter of the story, I couldn't wait to read on...see who was going to 'talk' next and tell us what they had seen or heard. This also added to the feeling of realism as in our newspapers, we are only given snippets of information and eyewitness accounts, piecing together the latest headlines. If Monster Love had been written in a more standard manner I really don't think it would have had the same effect and impact.

Towards the end of the book drama in the courtroom unfolds. This manages to keep up the sense of pace which is not always the case in conventional crime stories. Again, the technique of varying viewpoints adds greatly to the interest.

At around the same point in the novel a seemingly telepathic connection between the Gutteridges is detailed. This suggestion spoilt the story a little for me...a bit over the top and verging on the 'supernatural'. I can understand that it was included to emphasize the intense closeness of the couple and their inseparable bond but it just didn't do anything for me. It is a necessary addition to assist the ending though. Although I have read reviews where people have claimed that they found it to be predictable, I can honestly say that it caught me completely by surprise. I wasn't expecting it at all!

Despite the harrowing content and sometimes strange developments within Monster Love I found it utterly compelling. Carol Topolski has produced a very brave, experimental attempt at tackling the question of why seemingly harmless people do unspeakable things. And of course, making the point that none of us really knows what goes on behind the closed doors of our neighbours, friends and even family.






Published by: Penguin Books Ltd (2008)
Pages: 272
Cover price: £6.99
ISBN: 9780141033389

Summary: An excellent debut novel from Carol Topolski