---
product_id: 16408409
title: "Broken Monsters (Reading Group Guide)"
price: "₱2017"
currency: PHP
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reviews_count: 8
url: https://www.desertcart.ph/products/16408409-broken-monsters-reading-group-guide
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region: Philippines
---

# Broken Monsters (Reading Group Guide)

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desertcart.com: Broken Monsters (Reading Group Guide): 9780316216814: Beukes, Lauren: Books

Review: No-one has had an easy path to their present circumstances in Detroit - Many frequent readers of crime fiction (and I count myself in both these numbers) are over the mad serial killer sub-genre. This could make the opening monologue of BROKEN MONSTERS something that makes you put down the book and step away. Whilst the subject matter remains confrontational, often times surreal and vaguely supernatural, there are other aspects worth considering. We all know the story of the rise and decline of Detroit – from economic power-house to basket-case in a very short period of time. The resulting population decline left decaying buildings and a society going the same way. That community turning to artistic and counter-culture movements as a way of invigorating the place makes enormous sense and the sense of reality and immediacy with which Beukes brings that setting, and those people into this storyline is strong, and utterly believable. The depravity of the killer's actions, and the sheer madness of his reasoning and behaviour is somehow reflected by the environment. Society goes mad and loses it's compass along with some of the more vulnerable individuals in it. Not to say that there's any apology for Clayton Broom, this reads more as an exploration of breakdown, damage, extremities. Needless to say it makes for uncomfortable and confrontational reading. The violence is explicit, the methods of killing shocking, and the ramp up of tension palpable. Written with no holds barred, Beukes manages to avoid glorifying any of it, whilst portraying the weirdness. That sense of damage and struggle is evident in just about everybody in this book. No-one has had an easy path to their present circumstances in Detroit, and whilst there are some good people – each of them has baggage. A situation they are dealing with. Something they are trying to make the best of. As a central character, Detective Gabi Versado, amongst a lot of other heavy lifting is single mother to a teenage daughter. Despite a pretty good relationship, albeit one that's fraught with the difficulties of mothers and teenage daughters, teenagers will be teenagers. Which these days, has online implications. The portrayals of daughter Layla and her friend Caz are strong, and the idea that two young girls would set out to “catfish” some lowlifes on the internet particularly poignant to be reading about in October 2014. Especially when revelations about Caz's own cyber-bullying experience come to light. All of this is delivered with the extra component of “ruin porn” and an alternative view of the online world, in the character of Jonno. Attempting to leverage an online presence into an influential journalistic voice, Jonno and his girlfriend lose their way, their perspective and a lot more to boot. Taking on the mad, extreme serial killer motif and placing that in a society that is struggling doesn't excuse the behaviour, but it does attempt to provide some context, and some reasons. Weaving in some salient points about the perils of online presence, BROKEN MONSTERS might not be the easiest read in the world, but it is less of a serial killer expose and a lot more about about damage and society on the extremes. [...]
Review: Long Live the Horror! - Lauren Beukes has been churning out some very interesting novels over the past few years and unfortunately (for me!)I have not read her earlier books. Often described as “quirky”, “Scary as Hell and Hypnotic” by the “Kings” of Horror writing -Pretty heavy-duty endorsements! So If you like your spine-chilling horror stories, then Lauren Beukes should probably figure in your top 5 writers. Right up there with Stephen King and James Elroy. I decided to dive straight into her latest book, Broken Monsters without letting the blurbs carry me away on the wings of soaring expectations. By the time I was about 10% into this twisted exploration of a broken modern-day society set in decrepit Detroit that I knew nothing about, I was sold. Both on the terrifying premise of the story and her terrific storytelling abilities. And while yes, Lauren begs comparisons to the established greats of this genre, she definitely is striking out her own blazing path here. Broken Monsters is the latest in that growing list of achievements. The characters of the book (And they are many!) are all so disturbingly real, broken and flawed in many ways like you and me – that you easily relate to them. Immersing us into a desolate atmospheric Detroit where most of the action takes place over a week, Lauren takes us on a tense creepy-as-hell tour of the weird and intriguing. Her writing is flawless – firmly drawing us into the murky murder mystery of a horrific nature that rocks the city of Detroit. The book starts with the discovery of a dead body – a sickening handiwork where the upper torso of an African-American boy has been glued to the lower half of a deer. Now if you cannot stomach gruesome murder descriptions, then I’d suggest caution. Coz Lauren deftly paints up a bleak picture of the murder scene, gruesome and horrifying, the first of many such blood splashed tableau; a possible handiwork of a deranged psycho killer out on the loose. This book thus is at heart a serial-killer chase - a detailed police-procedural with Detective Gabriella Versado, one of the leading characters in the book obsessively working the clues to get to the murderer – but what really shines amidst this excess of violence and gore – is Lauren’s handling of her main characters. The tumbling thoughts, the confusions and constant struggle within each of her lead character (It’s amazing how easy her writing is, letting us deep inside their heads!) is really what holds this story together. Transforming it from a taut and bloody serial-killer chase into a much more scary and a deeply psychological horror story. Lauren doesn’t build up the tension to a grand expose as would be expected. Instead from pretty early on itself, we are privy to the dark recesses of the minds of the killer. In a way, this is a far more effective tool; talk about being insanely talented. Hats off Lauren. So the tragic crumbling city of Detroit in its forgotten glory of the ruins and the wannabe-hipster-art ambitions is a towering presence throughout the book - the main plot is told through multiple POVs – We encounter Detective Gabbi obsessed with this curious case, her precocious daughter Layla struggling with the usual issues of a teenager( acceptance, friendship, identity crisis, internet addiction…Frankly in Layla and her best friend Cas Lauren beautifully explores the insecurities of childhood and navigating the high school in the age of Internet trawling. Personally for me their chapters were a tour-de-force, , a very compelling read, authoritatively portrayed!), a failed writer Jonno Haim in search of his big break roaming the pubs and art-parties of Detroit [Using him as a foil to take satirical digs at societal norms and aspirations around art!) A homeless man called TK in search of an abandoned house-articles that he can salvage to build a home for himself and Clayton – a restless artist/sculptor who has fallen out of grace with the art community in Detroit and is struggling with his own personal demons. I say it again. Lauren Beukes can really write. And convey horror – in its purest and most chilling form. A deep-seated unsettling feeling that crawls up your back and lodges itself firmly in the back of your head. Broken Monsters is a “shining” example of Lauren’s abilities – with a prose honed to razor sharpness leaping between exuberant and addictive, this book is a telling exploration of the dark inside all of us in today’s society. Dark and utterly absorbing, Broken Monsters for me is the “doorway” to Lauren Beukes’ world. I got Shining Girls and Zooland next up!

## Technical Specifications

| Specification | Value |
|---------------|-------|
| Best Sellers Rank | #589,014 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #3,041 in Horror Occult & Supernatural #6,473 in Murder Thrillers #8,828 in Women Sleuths (Books) |
| Customer Reviews | 3.9 out of 5 stars 2,119 Reviews |

## Images

![Broken Monsters (Reading Group Guide) - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/718p+bGlmBL.jpg)

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ No-one has had an easy path to their present circumstances in Detroit
*by K***M on October 24, 2014*

Many frequent readers of crime fiction (and I count myself in both these numbers) are over the mad serial killer sub-genre. This could make the opening monologue of BROKEN MONSTERS something that makes you put down the book and step away. Whilst the subject matter remains confrontational, often times surreal and vaguely supernatural, there are other aspects worth considering. We all know the story of the rise and decline of Detroit – from economic power-house to basket-case in a very short period of time. The resulting population decline left decaying buildings and a society going the same way. That community turning to artistic and counter-culture movements as a way of invigorating the place makes enormous sense and the sense of reality and immediacy with which Beukes brings that setting, and those people into this storyline is strong, and utterly believable. The depravity of the killer's actions, and the sheer madness of his reasoning and behaviour is somehow reflected by the environment. Society goes mad and loses it's compass along with some of the more vulnerable individuals in it. Not to say that there's any apology for Clayton Broom, this reads more as an exploration of breakdown, damage, extremities. Needless to say it makes for uncomfortable and confrontational reading. The violence is explicit, the methods of killing shocking, and the ramp up of tension palpable. Written with no holds barred, Beukes manages to avoid glorifying any of it, whilst portraying the weirdness. That sense of damage and struggle is evident in just about everybody in this book. No-one has had an easy path to their present circumstances in Detroit, and whilst there are some good people – each of them has baggage. A situation they are dealing with. Something they are trying to make the best of. As a central character, Detective Gabi Versado, amongst a lot of other heavy lifting is single mother to a teenage daughter. Despite a pretty good relationship, albeit one that's fraught with the difficulties of mothers and teenage daughters, teenagers will be teenagers. Which these days, has online implications. The portrayals of daughter Layla and her friend Caz are strong, and the idea that two young girls would set out to “catfish” some lowlifes on the internet particularly poignant to be reading about in October 2014. Especially when revelations about Caz's own cyber-bullying experience come to light. All of this is delivered with the extra component of “ruin porn” and an alternative view of the online world, in the character of Jonno. Attempting to leverage an online presence into an influential journalistic voice, Jonno and his girlfriend lose their way, their perspective and a lot more to boot. Taking on the mad, extreme serial killer motif and placing that in a society that is struggling doesn't excuse the behaviour, but it does attempt to provide some context, and some reasons. Weaving in some salient points about the perils of online presence, BROKEN MONSTERS might not be the easiest read in the world, but it is less of a serial killer expose and a lot more about about damage and society on the extremes. [...]

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Long Live the Horror!
*by X***H on April 15, 2015*

Lauren Beukes has been churning out some very interesting novels over the past few years and unfortunately (for me!)I have not read her earlier books. Often described as “quirky”, “Scary as Hell and Hypnotic” by the “Kings” of Horror writing -Pretty heavy-duty endorsements! So If you like your spine-chilling horror stories, then Lauren Beukes should probably figure in your top 5 writers. Right up there with Stephen King and James Elroy. I decided to dive straight into her latest book, Broken Monsters without letting the blurbs carry me away on the wings of soaring expectations. By the time I was about 10% into this twisted exploration of a broken modern-day society set in decrepit Detroit that I knew nothing about, I was sold. Both on the terrifying premise of the story and her terrific storytelling abilities. And while yes, Lauren begs comparisons to the established greats of this genre, she definitely is striking out her own blazing path here. Broken Monsters is the latest in that growing list of achievements. The characters of the book (And they are many!) are all so disturbingly real, broken and flawed in many ways like you and me – that you easily relate to them. Immersing us into a desolate atmospheric Detroit where most of the action takes place over a week, Lauren takes us on a tense creepy-as-hell tour of the weird and intriguing. Her writing is flawless – firmly drawing us into the murky murder mystery of a horrific nature that rocks the city of Detroit. The book starts with the discovery of a dead body – a sickening handiwork where the upper torso of an African-American boy has been glued to the lower half of a deer. Now if you cannot stomach gruesome murder descriptions, then I’d suggest caution. Coz Lauren deftly paints up a bleak picture of the murder scene, gruesome and horrifying, the first of many such blood splashed tableau; a possible handiwork of a deranged psycho killer out on the loose. This book thus is at heart a serial-killer chase - a detailed police-procedural with Detective Gabriella Versado, one of the leading characters in the book obsessively working the clues to get to the murderer – but what really shines amidst this excess of violence and gore – is Lauren’s handling of her main characters. The tumbling thoughts, the confusions and constant struggle within each of her lead character (It’s amazing how easy her writing is, letting us deep inside their heads!) is really what holds this story together. Transforming it from a taut and bloody serial-killer chase into a much more scary and a deeply psychological horror story. Lauren doesn’t build up the tension to a grand expose as would be expected. Instead from pretty early on itself, we are privy to the dark recesses of the minds of the killer. In a way, this is a far more effective tool; talk about being insanely talented. Hats off Lauren. So the tragic crumbling city of Detroit in its forgotten glory of the ruins and the wannabe-hipster-art ambitions is a towering presence throughout the book - the main plot is told through multiple POVs – We encounter Detective Gabbi obsessed with this curious case, her precocious daughter Layla struggling with the usual issues of a teenager( acceptance, friendship, identity crisis, internet addiction…Frankly in Layla and her best friend Cas Lauren beautifully explores the insecurities of childhood and navigating the high school in the age of Internet trawling. Personally for me their chapters were a tour-de-force, , a very compelling read, authoritatively portrayed!), a failed writer Jonno Haim in search of his big break roaming the pubs and art-parties of Detroit [Using him as a foil to take satirical digs at societal norms and aspirations around art!) A homeless man called TK in search of an abandoned house-articles that he can salvage to build a home for himself and Clayton – a restless artist/sculptor who has fallen out of grace with the art community in Detroit and is struggling with his own personal demons. I say it again. Lauren Beukes can really write. And convey horror – in its purest and most chilling form. A deep-seated unsettling feeling that crawls up your back and lodges itself firmly in the back of your head. Broken Monsters is a “shining” example of Lauren’s abilities – with a prose honed to razor sharpness leaping between exuberant and addictive, this book is a telling exploration of the dark inside all of us in today’s society. Dark and utterly absorbing, Broken Monsters for me is the “doorway” to Lauren Beukes’ world. I got Shining Girls and Zooland next up!

### ⭐⭐⭐ An entertaining read that suffers from it's supernatural themes
*by C***H on July 13, 2015*

Broken Monsters is an entertaining and interesting read, that much is sure. However, the novel is held back by a number of different flaws and an ending that while overall decent, leaves much to be desired, bringing down what was otherwise an exciting and rewarding novel. Lauren Beukes novel is largely a crime, cop vs. killer "thriller" that takes place in the broken streets of Detroit. The premise involves a killer mutilating corpses into human-animal hybrids and leaving his victims around the city as art pieces in an attempt to garner attention to his deeds. The protagonists of the story, including Gabi, a veteran detective who attempts to decipher the killer's messages; Layla, Gabi's daughter; TK, a wanderer through the streets of Detroit, and Jonno, a washed-up reporter hoping to make it big, are all pulled into what is overall a satisfying read that is held back by a number of larger issues that inhibit the story's potential. Broken Monsters is largely made out to be a supernatural horror/thriller. I should preface this section by saying that I have yet to read anything in which I am legitimately frightened, and thus may be biased. While the story itself is usually tense and the killer is perhaps the most interesting character of the bunch and legitimately threatening, there were no times when I was scared for the fate of any of the characters. Calling it a thriller is also a bit of a stretch, due to this fact, as it is not until towards the end that any of the primary characters are put in a very threatening situation. Granted, the second half is captivating and definitely builds up to be suspenseful, which drew me in. In terms of horror, however, what is achieved by the novel is creepy at best, but isn't quite deserving of the 'horrifying'. Similarly, the supernatural elements are almost out of place and in my opinion are poorly planned, as it isn't until towards the end that anything roughly supernatural begins to take place, and ultimately these elements confuse and muddle what could have been a fantastic and satisfying ending. Frankly, what was achieved was a somewhat messy, overdrawn and bizarre conclusion that ultimately fails to suspend disbelief. The supernatural elements are open-ended however, which makes up for it a bit depending on interpretation. Overall, the characters are split down the middle on likabiltiy and often necessity. Gabi, or Detective Versado, is a strong, if not somewhat overdone, authority figure who has a complicated family life and carries the weight of the job on her shoulders. She is a nice piece of the puzzle, and serves as an overall solid protagonist. I also found myself very invested in TK, as his placed importance on family and friends paired with a greyed moral compass and a tragic backstory made for a lovable and relatable man who is merely struggling in rough economic times. I found Layla, the detective's daughter, necessary to Gabi's behavior, though her side-story with her friend Cas (who is almost 'too' cool) largely unnecessary and doesn't particular have any sort of relation to the overall plot, definitely not worthy of mention as one of the strong points of the book like the back cover would have you to believe. As for the journalist, Jonno, I almost despised him in the beginning and was neutral about him in the end. Maybe it was that I found him to be sort of a hack (although he does have a fairly good backstory and motivation), but I really didn't care for him. The killer was a solid villain in my opinion, tying together sick tendencies with a desire for fame, though his development does suffer from the supernatural aspects, particularly towards the end. Overall, Broken Monsters is an entertaining read, though not a serious thriller or deserving of award. The story slugs a bit through the third or half, but is actually captivating up to the conclusion. The writing style is a bit casual for my tastes, and often Beukes throws needless cultural references in, as if to say "look at how hip and modern I am," but it generally works in such a modern setting. The characters are a bit underdeveloped, but those who are fleshed out have exciting backstories and proper motivation (even Jonno, admittedly). It is a 3.5/5 novel that could have been a solid crime novel with more refinement and the supernatural portions done away with entirely, as the 'magic' ultimately clouds the ending in an obstructive haze that diminishes what otherwise could have been a satisfying conclusion to what was otherwise a decent, largely captivating read, at least in the second half.

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