Lauren Groff's THE MONSTERS of TEMPLETON Stumbles in Complicated Storytelling

Lauren Groff's novel "The Monsters of Templeton" was shortlisted for the Orange Prize and named as one of the best books of the year by Amazon in 2008.  Groff's writing style is mythical and poetic. Her story is a compilation of contemporary drama, historical fiction and fantasy.  Wilhemina "Willi" Upton is a Stanford grad student in anthropology.  She's selected by her professor to take part in a dig in Alaska.  Alas, she & her prof. do most of their research under the sheets until his jealous wife arrives and slaps Willi silly.  Enraged Willi seeks revenge against her rival by attempting to mow her down with the small plane the bitch just flew in on.  Facing possible criminal charges and expulsion Willi retreats back to her hometown, Cooperstown home to the Baseball Hall of Fame in defeat.  An only child, Willi leans on her mom, Vi, to mend her wounds while pining for her professor.  To complicate matters, Willi believes herself pregnant, unsure what to do with her "lump" and her life.  What she does to get her mind off her own woes is to research the history of her hometown, now overrun by tourists, and solve the mystery of who her father is.  Miraculously, Willi's return home coincides with the discovery of a 50' corpse of a monster in Lake Glimmerglass.  The Lake borders Willi's home and it's not long before the media circus arrives.  Groff's novel is bookended by this magical creature that's inhabited the lake for eons.  The day the monster surfaced Willi senses her mother's hatred of her for returning in disgrace, lopping off mom's own ambitions, yet again and portending everything disintegrating to ashes.  To keep herself distracted, Willi's research of her family tree, the town's history and thus the quest to uncover her father (rather than just asking her mother) takes the reader through a labyrinth of local lore & history unveiling insidious characters and unscrupulous dealings. The true monsters of the town arise from the Templeton family members and their dastardly deeds.  Meantime Willi contends with locals from her past & her mother's love life. The story undulates between Willi's forlorn situation, unforeseen future and the town's convoluted history.  Groff's writing is complicated and oftentimes confusing.  But there are astute observations that resonate so vividly they vibrate like flicked crystal.  Groff concedes herself a rococo storyteller; inherently confusing.   Hazel, the town's librarian & historian discredits Willi's findings. "The story's all fabrication, in a way wish fulfillment." An optimistic ending coincides with the discovery of a young sea monster in Lake Glimmerglass that parallels new beginnings & opportunities.  "The more frightening the future is, the more complicated it seems to be the more we steady ourselves with the past."  Brilliantly written, complex yet oftentimes overwrought, THE MONSTERS of TEMPLETON will tow the reader down through multitudinous layers of reef.