Willie Upton arrives on the doorstep of her ancestral home in Templeton, New York in the wake of a disastrous affair with her much older, married archaeology professor. That same day, the discovery of a prehistoric monster in the lake brings a media frenzy to the quiet, picture-perfect town her ancestors founded. Smarting from a broken heart, Willie then learns that the story her mother had always told her about her father has all been a lie. He wasn't the one-night stand Vi had led her to imagine, but someone else entirely.
As Willie puts her archaeological skills to work digging for the truth about her lineage, a chorus of voices from the town's past rise up around her to tell their sides of the story. Dark secrets come to light, past and present blur, old mysteries are finally put to rest, and the surprising truth about more than one monster is revealed.
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[THE DAY returned to Templeton steeped in disgrace, the fifty-foot corpse of a monster surfaced in Lake Glimmerglass]***
(Cornerstone Digital, 30 September 2012, first published 2008, ebook, 394 pages, Around the Year in 52 Books 2019, a book with a monster or monstrous character, bought from @AmazonKindle)
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I've read a few of Groff's novels and rate her quite high. I bought this a few years ago but never got round to reading it. I found this book absorbing and engrossing, rich and dense, the kind of book it's easy to get lost in. Groff is such a good writer. The monsters of the title refer to more than just the prehistoric creature in the lake, but human monsters as well, of which the town seems to be rife with. The book includes photos and journal extracts that make me wonder if the book was inspired by real events. According to Wikipedia the book draws on legends of Cooperstown where she grew up and tales written by the town's famous author. I especially enjoyed the way the author blends past and present with fact and fiction. A truly enjoyable read.
