Hemlock Grove, Brian McGreevy
Hemlock Grove, Brian McGreevy
3 Rating(s)
List: $19.95 | Sale: $13.97
Club: $9.97

Hemlock Grove
or, The Wise Wolf

Author: Brian McGreevy

Narrator: Sean Runnette

Unabridged: 10 hr 47 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 03/27/2012


Synopsis

A charismatic young writer reinvents the gothic novel, bringing a fresh energy to our darkest myths and deepest horrors in an expectation-defying tale of adolescent deception, ravenous violence, and rumors of werewolves.The body of a young girl is found mangled and murdered in the woods of Hemlock Grove, Pennsylvania, in the shadow of the abandoned Godfrey Steel Mill. A manhunt ensues—though the authorities aren’t sure if it’s a man they should be looking for.Some suspect an escapee from the White Tower, a foreboding biotech facility owned by the Godfrey family, where some suspect that biological experiments of the most unethical kind take place. Others turn to Peter Rumancek, a Gypsy trailer-trash kid who has told impressionable high school classmates that he’s a werewolf. Or perhaps it’s Roman, the son of the late JR Godfrey, who rules the adolescent social scene with the casual arrogance of a cold-blooded aristocrat, his superior status unquestioned despite his decidedly freakish sister, Shelley, whose monstrous medical conditions belie a sweet intelligence, and his otherworldly, sexy control freak of a mother, Olivia. As the crime goes unsolved and the police seem more and more willing to believe any outlandish rumor, Peter and Roman decide the only way to save their own skins is to find the killer themselves. Along the way they uncover local secrets and designs that are much bigger than some small-town murder.Hemlock Grove is an exhilarating reinvention of the gothic novel, inspired by the iconic characters of our greatest myths and nightmares. At once a riveting mystery and a fascinating revelation of the grotesque and darkness within, Hemlock Grove has the architecture and energy to become a classic in its own right—and Brian McGreevy, the talent and ambition to enthrall us for years to come.

About Brian McGreevy

Brian McGreevy grew up near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and received his MFA from the Michener Center for Writers at the University of Texas. He is currently writing and coproducing the TV adaptation of Hemlock Grove for Netflix. He lives in Los Angeles.

About Sean Runnette

Sean Runnette, a multiple AudioFile Earphones Award winner, has produced several Audie Award–winning audiobooks and has also narrated works by John Steinbeck and Richard P. Feynman. Of his performance of The Courage to be Free, AudioFile Magazine wrote "Runnette’s tender approach to every sentence and paragraph helps the author’s wisdom glow. Along with the understated power of the author’s writing, Runnette’s performance makes this one of the most arresting and thought-provoking audiobooks available today". He is a member of the American Repertory Theater company and has toured internationally with Mabou Mines, an avant-garde theater company. Sean's television and film appearances include Two If by Sea, Copland, Sex and the City, Law & Order, Third Watch.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Paula on November 21, 2014

DO NOT read reviews of this book. Except maybe this one because I am not going to say ANYTHING. There's a standard question people ask in interviews: "What book would you most like to read again for the first time?" My answer always has been Love & Rockets because I was so totally unprepared for a co......more

Goodreads review by Michael on May 01, 2013

I'm glad other reviewers have pointed out the problems with basic rules of punctuation and point of view in this novel. They are so often frustrating and distracting that it robs the novel of whatever interest it might have. Two things recommend it: a great werewolf transformation scene, and lots of......more

Goodreads review by PopInsomniacs on March 31, 2013

Apparently I was excited enough about Eli Roth's adaptation of Hemlock Grove, soon to air in its entirety on Netflix, to devour Brian McGreevy’s novel in the space of less than two days. Yeah, that’s right, I sped my way through an entire book instead of babysitting it like I always do (even the one......more


Quotes

“It takes a rare stroke of genius to reconfigure the gothic novel within the postindustrial barrens of steel country and another entirely to upstage this conceit with a mythic and ambitious story of adolescence and alienation. Like a collaboration between Edgar Allan Poe and J. D. Salinger, this is a real emerging talent.” Philipp Meyer, author of the multiaward winner American Rust

“A wonderfully creative and twisted reinvention of classic monster archetypes, wrapped up in a mysterious thriller. I loved it. Brian McGreevy is a welcome new voice in horror literature, but be warned: it’s not for the faint of heart, or stomach.” Eli Roth, director of Hostel

“Hemlock Grove is a sly blend of J. D. Salinger and Mary Shelley and will appeal to a broad base of fans captivated by these rich characters and stunning visuals.” Ted Sarandos, Netlfix chief content officer

“McGreevy cleverly contemporizes the gothic novel, underlining the isolations of modern-day technology and adolescence.” Publishers Weekly

“[An] unexpected, gothic monster mash of a debut…McGreevy writes with a facility that recalls the Jonathans Lethem and Franzen, and his short, quixotic chapters are masterworks of holding the unspeakable just far enough offstage to make it genuinely unnerving. At its core, the novel is a juicy soap opera, complete with love affairs, unwanted pregnancies, class warfare, and the occasional grave-robbing or entrail-eating—which helps otherwise align a challenging read on an irresistible Peyton Place trajectory. There hasn’t been a town as rotten as Hemlock Grove in a while. Somebody turn this into a TV series, already.” Booklist (starred review)

“Screenwriter McGreevy makes a stunning literary debut with this gothic, paranormal thriller. He plays on gothic themes with misfits and mobsters inhabiting his story, but he grounds his plot with plenty of authentic angst-ridden teenage turmoil…Keeps you guessing until the very end.” Library Journal