Little Monsters by Adrienne Brodeur

 Little Monsters was the pet name for widower Adam Gardner’s two children in this novel set in Cape Cod in 2016 by Adrienne Brodeur due out June 27. Ken and Abby became motherless shortly after Abby’s birth when their mother suffered a pulmonary embolism.

Adam, a recognized oceanographer, raised his children mostly by himself having tried marriage twice more but unsuccessfully. Ken and Abby became deeply committed to one another as children but as adults, their relationship has withered, partly because Ken inherited his mother’s studio where Abby now lives and works.

Abby is an artist who started with sculpture using found items but grew into painting. Ken is a businessman who has visions of becoming a member of Congress…and then, who knows? Abby has remained single while Ken has a beautiful wife and two daughters.

Despite his ability to work and care for his children, Adam has long suffered a bipolar disorder, controlled by medicine. On the cusp of his 70^th birthday, he has decided he needs to make one more scientific discovery. To think clearly, he stops taking his meds correctly, knowing his adult children will be upset as he spirals.

The Gardners are all carefully hiding a number of secrets, when one they do not know about shows up: Stephanie Murphy, a Baltimore police officer, who has a deep interest in the family. She surreptitiously lays plans to meet Abby, Ken, and Adam before she reveals a nearly four-decade-old bombshell.

How will Steph’s secret upset the Gardners’ world? What will the result be for a father who abuses and misuses his medicines as he grasps for one more achievement in his field? Is there a way for Abby and Ken to come to a point of reconciliation with each other and their father?

Little Monsters is Adrienne Brodeur’s first work of fiction having produced the memoir Wild Game in 2019 that was one of the most talked about books that year. In addition, she founded the literary magazine Zoetrope: All-Story with filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola. She has contributed essays to Glamour, The National, The New York Times, Vogue, and other publications.

My review will be posted on Goodreads starting June 16, 2023.

I would like to thank Avid Reader Press, a trademark of Simon & Schuster, Inc., and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in return for an objective review.