Book Review: Sharp Teeth by Toby Barlow
Apr. 25th, 2008 10:43 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
juushikaTitle: Sharp Teeth
Author: Toby Barlow
Published: New York: HarperCollins, 2008
Rating: 5 of 5
Page Count: 312
Total Page Count: 48,825
Text Number: 141
Read For:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
lupanotte's recommendation, checked out from the library
Short review: Unknown to the rest of us, L.A. is populated by packs of werewolves, humans that change into dog-like beasts at will. In Sharp Teeth, three packs fight for power and vengeance, a dog catcher falls in love with a female werewolf, and a detective investigates a string of dog-related murders. The plot is tight and closely interweaving, the content is brutally violent, and the text is written in blank verse; somehow this unusual novel works, moving at a swift pace through a large cast and complex plot while still creating a poetic atmosphere which is unexpectedly moving. This novel's content and form caught me by pleasant surprise—it's a wonderful book unlike any other, and I highly recommend it.
When I first heard of this book, in a (locked) review bylupanotte, I was thrown by the combination of werewolves and verse, but sufficiency impressed by her love for the book to put it on reserve. I hope that readers come away from my review with the same impression, because I was surprised and pleased by this book and I urge others to read it. Yes, the combination of werewolves and verse is unusual, but at Barlow's hand it is successful. After the first page, I was no longer consciously aware of reading verse, but the effect of the style is aways there: the line breaks create a style that is quick and tight, capturing the reader as it moves swiftly through the plot. At the same time, the style is poetic, engaging a number of beastial metaphors to describe the violence of this interaction, the wild nature of this character, the primal love of this relationship.
The book's werewolves are very literal, real creatures, but they are also an analogy for the dog-on-dog nature and violence of the world that they inhabit. As such, the book places an expansive plot of dog packs, gang wars, and meth labs against the experiences and emotions of the characters, and entertains the unforgiving violence of a werewolf alongside a wide emotional register that moves from dry wit to surprising poignancy. To say that this book is ultimately "human" is to miss the point: it is neither wolf nor human, but (like the style) a hybrid of both, combining simple animal drives with human complexity, exaggerating human nature until it has become, although similar, something entirely new.
Barlow is unforgiving in both content and style, and while werewolves and verse may not seem to go together, here they do, and the result is remarkable. The text is engrossing and swiftly readable, the language brings both style and story to life, the plot is quite complex but never impossible to follow, the werewolves are strongly imagined, and through violence and love the book is potent and visceral. Books like this are rare, and not just because of the odd combination of the premise. Sharp Teeth is clever, engrossing, and truly satisfying both in plot and in meaning. I'm lucky to have heard about it, glad I had the chance to read it, and I highly recommend it.
Review posted here at Amazon.com.
Author: Toby Barlow
Published: New York: HarperCollins, 2008
Rating: 5 of 5
Page Count: 312
Total Page Count: 48,825
Text Number: 141
Read For:
lupanotte's recommendation, checked out from the libraryShort review: Unknown to the rest of us, L.A. is populated by packs of werewolves, humans that change into dog-like beasts at will. In Sharp Teeth, three packs fight for power and vengeance, a dog catcher falls in love with a female werewolf, and a detective investigates a string of dog-related murders. The plot is tight and closely interweaving, the content is brutally violent, and the text is written in blank verse; somehow this unusual novel works, moving at a swift pace through a large cast and complex plot while still creating a poetic atmosphere which is unexpectedly moving. This novel's content and form caught me by pleasant surprise—it's a wonderful book unlike any other, and I highly recommend it.
When I first heard of this book, in a (locked) review by
lupanotte, I was thrown by the combination of werewolves and verse, but sufficiency impressed by her love for the book to put it on reserve. I hope that readers come away from my review with the same impression, because I was surprised and pleased by this book and I urge others to read it. Yes, the combination of werewolves and verse is unusual, but at Barlow's hand it is successful. After the first page, I was no longer consciously aware of reading verse, but the effect of the style is aways there: the line breaks create a style that is quick and tight, capturing the reader as it moves swiftly through the plot. At the same time, the style is poetic, engaging a number of beastial metaphors to describe the violence of this interaction, the wild nature of this character, the primal love of this relationship. The book's werewolves are very literal, real creatures, but they are also an analogy for the dog-on-dog nature and violence of the world that they inhabit. As such, the book places an expansive plot of dog packs, gang wars, and meth labs against the experiences and emotions of the characters, and entertains the unforgiving violence of a werewolf alongside a wide emotional register that moves from dry wit to surprising poignancy. To say that this book is ultimately "human" is to miss the point: it is neither wolf nor human, but (like the style) a hybrid of both, combining simple animal drives with human complexity, exaggerating human nature until it has become, although similar, something entirely new.
Barlow is unforgiving in both content and style, and while werewolves and verse may not seem to go together, here they do, and the result is remarkable. The text is engrossing and swiftly readable, the language brings both style and story to life, the plot is quite complex but never impossible to follow, the werewolves are strongly imagined, and through violence and love the book is potent and visceral. Books like this are rare, and not just because of the odd combination of the premise. Sharp Teeth is clever, engrossing, and truly satisfying both in plot and in meaning. I'm lucky to have heard about it, glad I had the chance to read it, and I highly recommend it.
Review posted here at Amazon.com.
