Synopses & Reviews
The US Government has been testing the long-term effects of high-level radiation on a few select islands in the South Pacific. Their efforts have produced killer plants, mole people, and a 40 foot creature named K. Covered in fur and feathers, gifted with unusable butterfly wings and the mental capacity of a goldfish, K. is an evolutionary experiment gone very awry. Although he has no real understanding of his world, he knows when hes hungry, and he knows to follow the drum beats that lead him, every time, to the tree where a woman will be offered to him as sacrifice by the natives. When a group of American hunters stumble across the island, its bound to get interesting. Especially when the natives offer up the beautiful wife of the guide to K. Not to be outdone, the Americans manage to capture him. Back in the States, they start a traveling show. The main attraction: K.
Monster, 1959 is not just a portrait of what may have gone wrong inside the head of a monster like Godzilla, it isnt just a novel that follows the typical plot of a ‘50s monster movie. Its also a nuanced, detailed and exquisitely written view of a time that had a profound effect on creating the world we live in today. It captures David Maines storytelling brilliance as its never been seen before.
Review
"[When] Maine's evocative prose takes control, as in the telling of the creation myth recited by the elders on K's island, he creates something uniquely strange and beautiful...If you think you've seen this story before, you're right, but never quite like this."--Washington Post
"Like its protagonist, 'a Daliesque construct of unexpected leaps and alarming juxtapositions,' Monster, 1959 is both ungainly and oddly endearing."--The New York Times Book Review
“Maines achievement is to revisit an American myth with fresh eyes, creating an affecting parable for troubled times.”--O Magazine
"A ripping good adventure."--The Hartford Courant
“Discover Maine. If you havent heard the story from him, you havent heard it.”--The Oklahoman
Synopsis
From the critically acclaimed author of The Preservationist and The Book of Samson, Monster, 1959 is an extraordinary tale of 1950s America---flawed, conflicted, and poised to enter the most culturally upended decade of the century.
The United States government has been testing the long-term effects of high-level radiation on a few select islands in the South Pacific. Their efforts have produced killer plants, mole people, and a forty-foot creature named K. Covered in fur and feathers, gifted with unusable butterfly wings and the mental capacity of a goldfish, K. is an evolutionary experiment gone very awry. Although he has no real understanding of his world, he knows when hes hungry, and he knows to follow the drumbeats that lead him, every time, to the tree where a woman is offered to him as a sacrifice by the natives. When a group of American hunters stumble across the island, its bound to get interesting, especially when the natives offer up the guides beautiful wife to K. Not to be outdone, the Americans manage to capture him. Back in the States, they start a traveling show. The main attraction: K.
About the Author
David Maine was born in 1963 and grew up in Farmington, Connecticut. He attended Oberlin College and the University of Arizona and has worked in the mental-health systems of Massachusetts and Arizona. He has taught English in Morocco and Pakistan, and since 1998 has lived in Lahore, Pakistan, with his wife, novelist Uzma Aslam Khan.