Different

by Frank Mundo

One morning 12-year-old Gregory Gourde wakes up in his bed with an impossible new feature: his head has become a watermelon. We follow Gregory down a rabbit hole of sorts to a new world and an audacious exploration of what it really means to be different in this dark yet humorous nod to Kafka's "Metamorphosis" and Carroll's "Alice in Wonderland".

130 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 2013

About the author

Frank Mundo is a poet and writer from Los Angeles, and author of five books, including The Brubury Tales, a modern version of Chaucer's Canterbury Tales set in Los Angeles, written entirely in rhyming verse.

Frank's latest poetry chapbook Eleven Sundry Flowers was released by Antrim House Books on July 12, 2021. His first poetry chapbook, Touched by an Anglo, was released by Kattywompus Press on July 19, 2017.



Praise for The Brubury Tales:

Winner of the Poet Laureate Award Nomination from UCLA and CAL

Winner of Reader Views Reviewers Choice Award for Poetry Book of the Year

Winner of the Bookhitch Award for the Most Innovative Poetry Book of Year


Reviews

"The Brubury Tales [by Frank Mundo] is a landmark book, in what is going to be -- and already is -- an exceptional, distinguished literary career." — Bestselling author Carolyn See, from the Washington Post.

"5 Stars: Mundo's skill is astounding and has a natural cadence. These stories are intriguing and compellingly human, and soon enough the reading becomes listening." --Sacramento Book Review

"5 Stars: With inspiration from many literary classics and plenty of original spin, The Brubury Tales is a fine collection and not one to be missed." --Midwest Book Review

"5 Stars: The Brubury Tales is a brilliant blend of writing, combining the style of Chaucer while putting a new slant on the short stories of the classical writers. --Reader Views

A unique and powerful new book,The Brubury Tales draws upon Chaucer's Canterbury Tales and classic stories by Mark Twain, Edgar Allan Poe, and Charles Dickens, to name a few. Frank Mundo takes risks with his writing, which is sensitive, thoughtful, and gritty. -- LA Books Examiner

"The Brubury Tales by Frank Mundo is a bold homage to Chaucer's Canterbury Tales. Mundo defamiliarizes the tale by placing itin Los Angeles in 1992 shortly after the Riots. Seven security guards on thegrave-yard shift swap stories in verse... 232 pages of words, Mundo attributes his 14 years of working as a security guard on the grave-yard shift for his ability to complete long writing projects. His authentic L.A. childhood experiences came out in his verse..." -- Mike Sonksen for KCET.org.

"The Brubury Tales follows in the footsteps of Chaucer and Boccaccio in that it borrows stories from previous authors... while the poetry is impressive... what is more appealing than the tales is the interplay among the guards themselves... Fans of classic literature may appreciate this and will no doubt enjoy picking out their favorite tales told in verse. The Brubury Tales is an ambitious undertaking, one which is mostly successful as an exercise in literary imitation." -- Kirkus Indie

Reviews

[Brittani Avery · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one is different (pun intended)

This was a very odd book, which should not be taken as a negative necessarily. I enjoyed the characters as well as their growth through the story, which shows Mundo's talent in writing an interesting and concise tale. For instance, Gregory started out as an immature and whining preteen to a young man determined to protect his loved ones. The illustrations also were a nice touch, adding clarity when the written descriptions became difficult to understand.

One huge gripe I had with the writing style were the random switches to 2nd person, having the narrator talking directly to the reader. Each and every one of those switches took me out of the story. I sped through those sections to get back to the regular 3rd person POV. These switches were the reason I gave it 3 stars rather than 4.

Overall, Different was an interesting read that discussed sensitive topics with realism and tact. I would recommend it with the heads-up on the POV switches.

[Raymond Mathiesen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Different

I just don't fit in!!!

Gregory, an imaginative, but troubled 12 year old boy, wakes up one morning with an almighty headache reminiscent of an older person's hangover. When he looks in the mirror he sees that he has a watermelon for a head!!!

This amusing tale, involving magical transformations and alternate worlds, is a little bit like the Narnian Chronicles, but there the comparison ends. This book is very much concerned with real world problems, like bullying and family difficulties, though the story itself is unashamed fantasy. Mundo balances subjects as serious as mental disturbance with a mischievous sense of humour, which will appeal to adults as well as teenagers. Although Gregory is 12, this book is really aimed at a bit older audience. Children of that age could read it, but I feel some of it may be a bit over their heads. On the other hand I guess we should not underestimate the sophistication of children.

The book has some nice black and white illustrations which I feel enhanced the reading experience. The text by itself though is excellent, and Mundo proves himself to be an excellent storyteller. The story moves along rapidly, spiralling into the surreal, like some kind of long dream. There is never a dull moment and the reader is kept wondering what will happen next until the very end.

Gregory is I think a very real character, despite all the magic and fantasy. Boys who have difficulty with life will relate to him, and those who do not will like him and hope for the best. Despite all the troubles Gregory has courage, and that is why we admire him. Alexandria, who befriends Gregory, is capable and brave, and will appeal to female readers. Grandma Pat, a Native American, also appears as a capable and caring woman, and will please those interested in minorities.

Different will indeed appeal to all minorities. It deals with the problems of not fitting in, that is the bane of many teenagers life, be they fat, have pimples, be gay, or of a racial minority, or whatever. In a way we are all 'different' in some way or another, and so this theme is really almost universal. This book will indeed appeal to many people.

The book is a quick read and would be ideal to a weekend reading.

I am happy to award Different a well-deserved 5 stars.

[Danielle Dassler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Metamorphosis meets wonderland

The story started out so much like Franz Kafka’s the Metamorphosis that I was initially torn between wondering if it was some kind of rip off of or a parody of that work.
It is neither.
It deals with pre teen mental health , bullying, and self-image in a truly fantastical and creative way.
I read a lot of children’s literature and would have found this on par with many of my favorite books by authors like Louis Sacher except for the use of obscene language and physical romance (while PG) that is notably absent from most books directed at the middle school audience. (I literally cringed when I saw the R word)
Still, it’s can’t be denied that the story is well written, quickly paced, and has a very practical ending, teachable for such a wild tale.
I very much enjoyed it as did my ten year old to whom I read it out loud.

[Donna Frances · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gregory is 12 years old and wakes up on a school morning to find his head is now a watermelon.
This is disturbing for 2 reasons-His head is a watermelon & he fears he has turned into ‘Choppy Yellow Bear’.
Choppy is a story that Gregory’s child minder recites to himself & the numerous other children she watches over. The children refer to her as Grandma Pat.
Choppy yellow Bear is a moral story, his head inadvertently turned into a watermelon because he played with his food. Grandma Pat told this story every time she served the children melon.

The events that transpired at grandma Pat’s that day would have a knock on effect as the next morning when he awoke with a fruit shaped head. The melon seeds being squished up his nose by one of the other children, the hallucinations, the Indian tea she gave him to drink to ‘save him from his own evil’.

You see Gregory was different, and because he was different he could enter a portal to an alternate world, taken there by a fellow classmate after having a nervous breakdown in school. Due to the taunts, the bullying, the knowing he was different and now he had a melon shaped head to prove it.

His classmate Alexandria led him though the portal in the bathroom and to safety. Or so they thought. She was different too.

Alexandria has terrible acne, her face transforming in front f his eyes into a pizza. Glops of mozzarella and pepperoni spilling down by his shoes as she spoke to him. Her face dripping off.

For a 12 year old boy to wake up and have a head that is a large fruit must be quite daunting, then the emotional meltdown in school. And onto a portal that takes you into a parrarel universe. This is rather a lot to handle before 9am.

The story progresses with odd & delightful characters in the alternate world ran itself run by the people that created it-The Crones.

I thoroughly enjoyed this as an original piece of writing. The descriptive characters, the treachery, the creation of another world. The structure of the plot, the story, the imagination, the dialogue were all 5 stars for me.

Highly recommend.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gregory Gourde certainly does take a trip down the rabbit hole in this dark fantasy; I felt like he was skating on the edge of madness for most of this story. Surely this is not what it is like for most boys going through puberty. But the author’s prose had me convinced that it had been for him. Frank Mundo does not just throw words at the page in hopes that they stick. There is much thought put into the words he chooses and this story will leave you thinking about it long after you have finished the story. This is the sign of a true wordsmith.

The story is told through Gregory's eyes with an omniscient narrator who pops in occasionally to move the story along or fill in past events of Gregory's life or other characters that played an important role. This is masterfully handled by the author and gave me a chance to let things soak in. Gregory is desperately seeking sanity and consistency despite his dysfunctional family. He is a smart kid and until he embraces and accepts himself for who he really is things go awry. Especially when he is told he does not belong in this alternate reality.

This was not an easy read for me, I tend to get too involved with the characters in the stories I read. So when things do not go well for the characters I have invested in I feel their pain. That is why I try to stick with fantasy. Gregory's problems are realistic, the manifestation of his problems are fantasy but certainly real in his mind.

The characters are beautifully written and darkly wonderful in their own way. The plot moves at a nice pace throughout the book. This is a fantastic journey of self-discovery, and I am glad I survived the trip as well as Gregory.

FYI: Adult language and content. Not for children.

The artwork included in this story is excellent, it adds a dimension not usually found in books. I read this on my Paperwhite and the images came across beautifully.

Format/Typo Issues: I found no significant errors.

**Originally written for "Books and Pals" book blog. May have received a free review copy.** December 31, 2013

[Terry Halley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Again, Frank Mundo delivers another great short story, Different! Different tells about a twelve-year-old boy, Gregory, being uniquely different-living in a world of bullying and unacceptance. Mundo’s writing approach produces a fantasy coming of age in today’s world – where being different doesn’t always feel good. Mondo’s writing approach puts the reader at ease as though the story is being read to them rather than reading it themselves. The story concept (coming of age) is written in an interesting way that the reader doesn’t realize that it is a coming of age story. A great story, easy read, and a page-turner. The only thing that I didn’t like about Different, is that it is a short story. I wanted more! Nonetheless, most great stories are short.

[A. A. MacConnell · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't know what to think about this book. It was certainly something, a disturbing children's book, if I were to try to label it. Because it felt like books I was made to read in elementary school, just with more mature themes.

Not my cup of tea, this book, but it is a million leagues above Kafka's Metamorphosis, which I loathed. For taking inspiration from that, I think this is a wonderfully strange story. I'd recommend it to people who prefer more absurdities in their novels.

[Sylvie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I preferred this to Gary The Four-Eyed Fairy. It seems aged at a teenage boy audience and I would certainly have given it to my son to read at that age. An intriguing premise, a teenage lad wakes up one morning to find he has a watermelon for a head. There were many American references which went over my head, but it was an engaging read.
It is also illustrated.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 Stars. What starts as a Kafka-esque metamorphosis, evolves into a self-described X-men/Wonderland/Narnia story of growth and self-acceptance by teens sidelined by bullies, indifferent adults, and perceived faults. Along the way, the author lightens the story with punny names like Kim Chi, and Gregory Gourde, who’s head looks like a melon. A happily ever after allegory.

[D.W. Plato · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm all for people doing what they love to do; especially when it's writing! AND thank you Frank Mundo for going the extra mile and producing your works on audio.
So... all my ratings start 5 stars. I minus a star for the following: POV, realistic dialogue, entertaining plot. With this one, the two stars taken off are for the POV (&tense) which seemed to jump around a bit. Mostly the story is told from the narrator's POV and perhaps I just didn't like the way the story jumped scenes. And the second star is realistic dialogue. A lot of the conversations seemed forced and unnatural, even for teenagers. Overall the story is entertaining enough. There were parts I feel could have used a good story/plot editor. A specific spot was when the therapy for being bullied is supposed to be about the feelings/emotions and not rehash the event. They narrator explains that, yet the scene never actually touches on the characters feelings but re-tales the bullying scene to the point it hurts (which would have been fine if the sentence before didn't state that they WEREN'T going to replay the hurtful moments.) There is also some meandering writing that could be 'tightened up' with a good editor. There were some lengthy descriptions that could have been omitted as they weren't relative to the story. As for indie authors, this isn't awful.

[Rachel Nefeke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Imagine a day you wake up and feel more different than usual. And it's not a change of your surroundings, nor your family. It's a change personal, radical and unexpected.
Different may describe special event in the life of one (uncommon) teenager but a lot of people feel the same even without-- SPOILER.
Gregory's difficulty to control things led to various unique situations which; although completely understandable; sometimes didn't work as he thought. On his way of regaining confidence, maturity to some extent, he meets others who share their lives with him. He discovers and realizes that being different doesn't mean you are all alone with it.
Alexandria's life doesn't worth much, as she thinks about herself. Meeting Gregory, she finally accepts her appearance and fact she's not an obstacle. She deserves to live as well as other people.
Another heart-wrenching character I found was Grandma Pat. Her behaviour, attitude, personality and unique stories of "her people" were fantastic to listen. So full of pride and morals you can take from it.
Wholesome adventure ending happier than I expected so there goes the fifth golden star.
Fully recommended.