Synopses & Reviews
A savagely smart, darkly comic literary debut,
New World Monkeys exposes the false idols of marital tranquillity, small-town idyll, and corporate Darwinism in the dazzling voice of a major new talent.
Duncan and Lily, young and adrift in a prickly marriage and lackluster careers, flee Manhattan for the peaceful allure of a recently inherited crumbling Victorian home. But the two are left with little time to ponder the traditional "he said, she said" failings of a relationship: On an upstate road miles shy of their house, a wild boar leaps to his death in front of their Saab–an accident whose consequences will haunt them throughout the summer.
That was no ordinary hog.
Lily and Duncan arrive in the eccentric town of Osterhagen to discover the boar had a name: The Sovereign of the Deep Wood. That it was the town mascot. And, as the hapless urbanites are coerced into the vortex of tea socials, cannon fire, and communal history, they realize that the residents of the bizarre hamlet intend to seek justice for their fallen hero.
Next come the bones.
Duncan, an adman whose controversial new campaign could make or break his career, wants a temporary escape from the pressures of urban life. But his pastoral retreat darkens when an attempt at gardening turns up a human femur in the lawn, a headstone inscribed simply Tinker, 1902, and a sense that Lilys family may have violence in its aristocratic blood.
And then theres Lloyd.
Lily, conflicted about her marriage and her career, spends her days at the local library researching her impossibly arcane dissertation topic but cant seem to make any progress. One day she observes the town pervert in action and befriends him.
Lloyd, a Peeping Tom, invites her to follow him on a birds-eye tour of Osterhagen that may help her home in on her own flaws and failings.
Keep digging.
Thrown together in their complicity over the boars death, fueled to exhume Tinkers bones from the garden, and inspired by Lloyds philosophical savoir faire, Duncan and Lily begin to excavate the profound truth about themselves and their marriage. But how deep can the two dig before the summers violent beginning catches up with them?
Synopsis
A savagely smart, darkly comic literary debut, "New World Monkeys" exposes the false idols of marital tranquility, small-town idyll, and corporate loyalty.
Synopsis
A savagely smart, darkly comic literary debut,
New World Monkeys exposes the false idols of marital tranquillity, small-town idyll, and corporate Darwinism in the dazzling voice of a major new talent.
Duncan and Lily, young and adrift in a prickly marriage and lackluster careers, flee Manhattan for the peaceful allure of a recently inherited crumbling Victorian home. But the two are left with little time to ponder the traditional "he said, she said" failings of a relationship: On an upstate road miles shy of their house, a wild boar leaps to his death in front of their Saab-an accident whose consequences will haunt them throughout the summer.
That was no ordinary hog.
Lily and Duncan arrive in the eccentric town of Osterhagen to discover the boar had a name: The Sovereign of the Deep Wood. That it was the town mascot. And, as the hapless urbanites are coerced into the vortex of tea socials, cannon fire, and communal history, they realize that the residents of the bizarre hamlet intend to seek justice for their fallen hero.
Next come the bones.
Duncan, an adman whose controversial new campaign could make or break his career, wants a temporary escape from the pressures of urban life. But his pastoral retreat darkens when an attempt at gardening turns up a human femur in the lawn, a headstone inscribed simply Tinker, 1902, and a sense that Lilys family may have violence in its aristocratic blood.
And then theres Lloyd.
Lily, conflicted about her marriage and her career, spends her days at the local library researching her impossibly arcane dissertation topic but cant seem to make any progress. One day she observes the town pervert in action and befriends him.
Lloyd, a Peeping Tom, invites her to follow him on a birds-eye tour of Osterhagen that may help her home in on her own flaws and failings.
Keep digging.
Thrown together in their complicity over the boars death, fueled to exhume Tinkers bones from the garden, and inspired by Lloyds philosophical savoir faire, Duncan and Lily begin to excavate the profound truth about themselves and their marriage. But how deep can the two dig before the summers violent beginning catches up with them?
About the Author
1. There is a strong animal presence in
New World Monkeys—beginning with the title. Can you describe how Duncan and Lily experience animal nature? Is it something to be feared or revered?
2. There are two very distinct settings in the book: the small upstate town of Osterhagen, and Manhattan. Could you argue that the Vietnam of Duncan’s imagination is a third setting?
3. In the very first chapter, Lily kills the Sovereign of the Deep Wood. What does this single incident tell you about both husband and wife and the roles they play? Discuss the difference between a lifealtering moment and a life-revealing moment.
4. Why do you think the author chose a creature like a wild boar to collide with Duncan and Lily’s car?
5. In Osterhagen, Duncan and Lily are surrounded by wilderness—or wildness. How does savageness start seeping into their lives? How does this affect Duncan, in particular, who must return to his city life each Sunday night?
6. When we first encounter the Osterhagen townsfolk, they appear to be a quirky community but they soon develop into a menacing force. How does adversity in the form of Skinner, his poodle and his son Emmett affect a couple like Duncan and Lily?
7. Lloyd is a troubling character. Yes, he’s a pervert but he’s also unsparingly honest. What do you think he represents for Lily through the course of her summer? Why do you think she never tells Duncan about him?
8. After peeping on the dentist, Lloyd says: “You’re the sophist, Lily. You probably think what? That you’re a great liberal?” He shakes his head as if she is pitiful. “But you’ve never done anything wrong. That’s why the little things bother you so much—smirches on your sterling record of close calls.” Beyond his perverse nature, what are the advantages and disadvantages of allowing someone like a ‘filterless’ Lloyd into your confidence?
9. When the police come to question Lily she has the opportunity to turn Lloyd in. Why do you think she doesn’t do it? As a reader, what did you want her to do, and why?
10. Lily becomes somewhat of the ‘keeper’ of Tinker’s bones. What do they represent to her and what do the midnight digs come to represent to them both she and Duncan as a couple?
11. The physical body has several iterations in this book—it is prized, nurtured, murdered, mutilated, buried and dug up in turn. How do these cycles relate to what Duncan and Lily go through during their marriage?
12. What does Duncan want from his career at the ad agency? As he takes on a leadership role among his colleagues, his character begins to change—perhaps surprisingly. In your experience, how accurate a description is this of group-think?
13. Lily justifies her decision to hide Duncan’s One Show trophies as an attempt to protect him against her father’s derision. How reasonable is this logic? Can you think of examples where you had to draw the line between protecting people in your life and ultimately hurting them?
14. What do you think of Duncan’s decision to follow Lily up to Osterhagen for the summer? When we first meet the couple, how deeply are they aware of their marital trouble? How committed are they to one another? What do you think is the sparking incident that forces them to turn a corner in their relationship?
15. How do the interactions between Duncan and Lily change as the story progresses? Does the backdrop of a rural, upstate town help or hinder their relationship? Is Duncan a different man when he’s with his wife than he is when he’s with his team at the agency?
16. New World Monkeys is written from a dual perspective. How do you feel about this if you are a male reader? A female reader? Who do you think is the emotional center of the story? Or can there be two emotional cores?
17. After being with both Duncan or Lily for the duration of the story, do you find that your loyalty shifts between characters? Would you say that rooting for one or the other is really indicative of your own experiences and life situation?
18. Consider this passage of Duncan’s point of view on his wife: “While he remained terrestrial and not quite upright she had entered the order of new world monkeys, was afforded a superior position among the trees.” What are other examples of Duncan misreading Lily? What role does Lily’s envy of her husband’s creativity play in the dissolution of their marriage?
19. Duncan and Lily appear to ‘devolve’ as individuals, versus progressing toward enlightenment. What affect does the author achieve by using this ‘reverse’ method to develop the characters? In this context, consider the title, New World Monkeys which Duncan uses to denote a better, progressive and elevated state.
20. How is the idea of ‘returning to the wild’ echoed in the book? Give examples of how both Duncan and Lily ‘re-wild’ both the mind and body over the course of their bizarre summer.
Reading Group Guide
Named one of the Best Books of 2009 by Publishers Weekly Featured in USA Today's New Voices
"NEW WORLD MONKEYS belongs to a distinct subgenre that we don't see too often anymore: Educated-Women's Lit....closely resembles the works of Alison Lurie, Diane Johnson and Alice Adams."
—Washington Post
"A debut novel that cannily and artfully shows the wild side of human nature. . . .With narration that sounds at times like the work of Zadie Smith, NEW WORLD MONKEYS weaves a funny and macabre tale."
—Bookpage
"[A] trippy, hilarious debut."
—MORE Magazine
"Nancy Mauro's darkly comedic debut novel quickly veers from one eccentric plot twist to another, making for a fascinating and compelling read."
—Very Short List
"Unabashedly eccentric. . . . fun, funny, and touching — a great summer book."
—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"Debut novelist Mauro perfectly balances humor and soulfulness in this poisonously funny, torchlight eerie, psychologically astute tale of archaic instincts, deviance, and violence. A provocative tale of evolutionary short-circuits and the wildness that flows beneath civilization's flimsy veneer."
—Booklist (starred review)
"A onetime advertising executive herself, [Mauro] offers a knowingly damning portrait of Duncan's profession–her delineation of people slipping into a kind of subhuman, pre-rational state is chilling. It's also frequently very funny and strangely moving . . . A brave and accomplished debut: weird, disturbing and intensely engaging."
—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"Nancy Mauro is a writer of rare and refined talent. This novel is a beautiful work of cunning and pathos. With her flawless prose she opens bare the hearts of her characters, their vain desires and everyday tragedies."
—Anthony Swofford, New York Times bestselling author of Jarhead and Exit A