The Monster

YOUNG ADULT/SUSPENSE/THRILLER:  The story begins with a nameless narrator, one who is dealing with struggles with his ex-girlfriend, best friend, and mother.  Life becomes even harder when he suddenly finds himself in the middle of a murder investigation and being named the number one suspect.  With little choice, the narrator takes off rather than facing the possibility of going to jail.  The story follows him and the mysterious “Puppet Man” who seems to arrive at just the wrong time.  “The Monster” is a tale of one man’s journey into the darkness and what happens when no one else is around.

“Once in every generation a monster awakens,” is the chilling sentence that ends the prologue, pushing readers into this twisted psychosocial thriller.  With an unnamed narrator framed for murder, an eerie and twisted villain, readers will enjoy the ride the story takes them on.  Mr. Soule’s work will draw readers in with an interesting a plot, good writing and enough intrigue to keep one’s attention.  The downfall is the length; there are simply not enough pages to dig deep, to give more background, character development, and purpose behind every action made.  For his debut work, Mr. Soule delivers a novella that will have readers coming back for his next book.

Mr. Cluthe presents a clean and seamless performance, but with very little emotional inflection, the narration falls flat.  The choice of performing with a very methodical and slow voice makes it difficult get into the story, and one must speed the book up slightly to not get lost in the speech.  Overall, Mr. Cluthe gives a decent portrayal of “The Monster,” however, the story may be best suited and more enjoyably consumed on the page.

Amy Cefoldo