Title: The Sasquatch Hunter's Almanac Author: Sharma Shields
Published: January 27, 2015
Genre(s): Magical Realism
Page Count: 400
Rating:
Summary from Goodreads:Eli Roebuck was nine years old when his mother walked off into the woods with "Mr. Krantz," a large, strange, hairy man who may or may not be a sasquatch. What Eli knows for certain is that his mother went willingly, leaving her only son behind. For the rest of his life, Eli is obsessed with the hunt for the bizarre creature his mother chose over him, and we watch it affect every relationship he has in his long life--with his father, with both of his wives, his children, grandchildren, and colleagues. We follow all of the Roebuck family members, witnessing through each of them the painful, isolating effects of Eli's maniacal hunt, and find that each Roebuck is battling a monster of his or her own, sometimes literally. The magical world Shields has created is one of unicorns and lake monsters, ghosts and reincarnations, tricksters and hexes. At times charming, as when young Eli meets the eccentric, extraordinary Mr. Krantz, and downright horrifying at others, The Sasquatch Hunter's Almanac is boldly imaginative throughout, and proves to be a devastatingly real portrait of the demons that we as human beings all face.
This was, overall, an odd book, though in spite of its strange premise, it was often mundane, the bizarreness so understated that it hardly seemed remarkable. I also think that after reading Aimee Bender, my system for measuring the weird has gotten a bit skewed. In any case, Sharma Shields’ debut, The Sasquatch Hunter’s Almanac, is different both in how it approaches storytelling in structure and in reality, while it still deals with family and life in a way that’s familiar and comfortable.
Sasquatches are, certainly, a major element of this book, but I feel that at its core, The Sasquatch Hunter’s Almanac is more about family dysfunction. Eli Roebuck’s family is a mess. His parents, his wives, his daughters—all dealing with issues that are quite often Eli’s own fault. There are absolutely weird things that happen in this book, and Shields is definitely writing magical realism, but there are still a lot of aspects about this story that readers will recognize. For me, it wasn’t so different from reality that I was alienated or put off (which can happen with certain magical realism authors, like Bender). Honestly, I didn’t find the fantastic elements of the novel to be as integral as they were perhaps meant to be. If you take out Eli’s driving quest to find a Sasquatch with a more everyday goal, like, say, becoming president of the company, the story and its major themes would still be the same. Not completely the same, obviously, but with where the epilogue leaves the reader, I was kind of left feeling that the Sasquatch and Eli’s obsession with it wasn’t as important in the big scheme of things.
This sounds vaguely dismissive of the author and her abilities, and I don’t want to minimize the cool aspects of the book. Birds stealing babies, magic hats, octopus grandmothers, unicorns etc. The nearly short story style of the book enables Shields to do a lot, and vary her tone fairly drastically throughout the text. Sometimes we get horror, sometimes we get humor. I think perhaps I would have liked more consistency, but I did appreciate the author’s range of ability.
Magical realism aside, and continuing from my last point, the aspect of the book I’m most on the fence about is Shieds’ episodic style of storytelling. The Sasquatch Hunter’s Almanac bridges the gap between short story and a more traditional novel format. The book will have a scene, then jump forward 5 years, then jump 2 more years, then another 5, etc. There are a lot of gaps left in the chronology of the Roebuck family, and on one hand, I’m unhappy with how seemingly incomplete this family history is. Yet on the other hand—do I really need to know every single detail? I’m torn. Shields’ structural decision with this book could really go either way. I think I like the episodic nature of the book more in theory than I do in actuality, though I’m not entirely sure I dislike it either. Regardless, the book is still coherent and engaging even with some blank spots.
I do think Shields’ prose is very good, though. It’s not exactly what I’d consider quotable, but there were a few very excellent lines throughout the book. I definitely can see myself picking up another book of this author’s (if the jacket copy sounds promising), because The Sasquatch Hunter’s Almanac has proven that she can write so competently and effectively.
Keeping its touch of magical realism understated amid the dramas and crises of family life, The Sasquatch Hunter’s Almanac is a promising debut, if not a huge hit. I think Sharma Shields has demonstrated talent and promise in this book, but (yes, there is a but) I don’t think the book itself is particularly impacting or memorable. It’s possibly re-readable, but I’m, overall, mostly lukewarm in response to the story.
