The Sasquatch Hunter's Almanac

by Sharma Shields

A dark, fantastical, multi-generational tale about a family whose patriarch is consumed by the hunt for the mythical, elusive sasquatch he encountered in his youth

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.

Genres: Fiction, Fantasy, Magical Realism, Adult, Literary Fiction, Novels, Science Fiction

400 pages, Paperback

First published January 27, 2015

About the author

Sharma Shields is the author of a short story collection, Favorite Monster, and two novels, The Sasquatch Hunter’s Almanac and The Cassandra. Sharma’s short stories and essays have appeared in The New York Times, Electric Lit, Catapult, Slice, Slate, Fairy Tale Review, Kenyon Review, Iowa Review, Fugue, and elsewhere and have garnered such prizes as the 2020 PNBA Award, 2016 Washington State Book Award, the Autumn House Fiction Prize, the Tim McGinnis Award for Humor, a Grant for Artist Projects from Artist Trust, and the A.B. Guthrie Award for Outstanding Prose. She received her B.A. in English Literature from the University of Washington (2000) and her MFA from the University of Montana (2004). Sharma runs a small press, Scablands Books, and is a contributing editor for Moss. A current employee of Wishing Tree Books in Spokane, Sharma has worked in independent bookstores and public libraries throughout Washington State. She lives with her husband (writer and graphic novelist Simeon Mills) and their two children.

Reviews

[karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

this is a charming, if uneven, little book-ride.

it covers about 60 years of a family's bizarre experiences, beginning when the lonely and unsatisfied mother of a young boy named eli is seduced into the arms of a sasquatch known as "mr. krantz," and goes off to live with him in the woods, leaving her family behind.

this lights an obsessive fire in eli that will burn for the rest of his life - not only does he become a podiatrist due to his preoccupation with feet, but he is even more preoccupied with the sasquatch, vowing to hunt down mr. krantz and take vengeance. he's like ahab, but with TWO feet.

this book features the same brand of freewheeling magical realism that characterizes The Monsters Of Templeton; it's a family drama where fantastic situations occur in the midst of the pain and struggle of everyday life, which goes on in its quiet and unremarkable way despite the appearance of unicorns, tentacle monsters, and a baby-snatching bird. as eli grows and starts his own family, he changes from a sympathetic boy who has lost his mother into a rather unpleasant and distracted man. he acquires two wives, two daughters, and grandchildren - but his sasquatch obsession will always take center stage.

each member of his family will encounter their own monster-scenario, both symbolic and very, very real. told through a number of different viewpoints, the book becomes a bit episodic - many of the chapters could stand alone as short stories and don't really affect the larger narrative of eli and his quest, and the tone of these chapters varies as well - some are silly-funny, some are quiet sad domestic slices of life, and some are straight-up horror. shields' first book was a story collection, and it doesn't seem like she was fully able to adjust her style into novel form. what works in a collection - tonal variety, self-contained pieces, is rendered awkward in a novel.

in the same vein, her transitions between narratives is also awkward. i didn't love the device of having each chapter start a few years further into the future from where the preceding one left off, leaving it up to whatever narrator was driving the chapter to fill in the gaps. it is unsatisfying to have chunks of story plopped out like that instead of experiencing the events in a more organic, cohesive structure.

all these quibbles aside, i really like her writing, so while i wasn't crazy about this novel as a whole, its individual components have made me very interested in checking out her first book, because i think that the short story structure is perfect for her brand of storytelling, and i am eager to read more from her.

come to my blog!

[The Shayne-Train · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was amazing. I hated it, and loved it. I want it burned, expunged from my memory. I want to read it once a year for the rest of my life. I want to give it simultaneously zero stars and also ten stars, so I took the average.

Every once a while, say every decade, you find that book that challenges who you think you are and what you think you believe in. In my teens, that book was The Secret History. In my 20's, it was Stranger in a Strange Land. And now, in my mid-30's with the shadow of middle-age quickly eclipsing the sun of my youth, it's this awful, beautiful, lovely, hateful fucking book.

(I realize now, writing this review, that it maybe shouldn't be read. My review, I mean. So go ahead and skip it. I'm not writing this for you Goodreads people, or for the author, or for any publication. I'm writing this because major inside-type-shit was stirred up in me by this book, and I have to get some of it out.)

Minor spoilers ensue, so deal ----- It begins with young Eli's mother leaving him and his loving, if unexciting, father to move into the woods with her Sasquatch lover. This is the first chapter, the introduction to the story, and it wrecked me immediately. Now, being one of those that sometimes can put a finger on the causes of his own emotional pain, I think I know why this very idea gripped me so hard: I am a man that has found love with a woman that is at least 4 leagues above him. And therefore, like any man that couples above his station, I live with a constant, secret, unappeasable, and gnawing fear that she'll realize she can do much better and go find someone that deserves her instead. All the footrubs and perfectly-cooked steak dinners I'll provide for the rest of my life will never, I suspect, relieve me of this fear. I will bring it with me to the grave. So, yeah, this first part got my attention, demanded my attention, spit in its face and made it say 'thank you.'

As the story went on, it dawned on me how complicated these people that inhabit this wondrous, terrible book really are. And I asked myself, are all people this complicated, or just some people? I came to the conclusion that most people are not at all this complicated. But who the fuck would want to read a book about the uncomplicated? How would that even go? "One day Shayne woke up. He wasted most of his day at the job he barely stands, then felt alive during the evening-time, sharing dinner and Netflix with those he loves. He went to bed feeling kinda happy and mostly lucky. Then he woke up and did it all again. And again. And again. The End." Boring, yeah? Right? Right. So complicated people get novels. Understandable.

(This review is getting away from me. It was much better in my head.)

As I said, this book fucked me up. It fucked me up just as much as Eli fucks up pretty much every person he has a relationship with during the course of his life. I'm going to end this review, feeling like I completely botched it. But it's done. That's something, right?

(Right??)

[Elisha Condie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Total unexpected icks with this one. It was advertised as "charming" and full of magic realism. It was NOT charming. It was sad. And just plain gross in several parts.

Eli's just a kid when his emotionally distant mother brings home a hairy monster in an ill fitting suit called Mr. Krantz. Then she walks off into the woods with him and leaves forever. And thus begins Eli's emotional damage and lifelong obsession with ol' Sasquatch.

And he wonders all his life about his mother and where she went. And the story follows him through life, marriage, children, and while there are bizarre moments of magic realism they were NOT charming and sometimes just plain red herrings. His first wife visits a magic shop that sells her a hat that turns her crazy, but then the shop disappears and leaves us ALL wondering what in the hell THAT tangent was about.

And Mr. Krantz. Ew. It's inexplicable WHY Eli's mother loves him so and runs off with him. And the author delights in describing his naked body and his wild sexual appetites (barf). And THEN. THEN! He brings home another pretty young wife who is all into him too and wants to domesticate him.

I seriously hated this. It wasn't spooky in a fun way, wasn't funny, wasn't even sad in a beautiful meaningful way. Honk. All around.

[Scottsdale Public Library]

One event can ripple across lifetimes. And the stranger the event, the stranger the outcomes. Eli Roebuck was nine years old when his mother walked out of his life forever…with Sasquatch. Eli picked up the pieces best he could and went on to become a respected Podiatrist with a family of his own, but he could never shake the haunting need to know who, or what, his mother had left him for. Eli would spend the rest of his life searching for answers, his obsession eventually taking its toll on his wife and daughter, both of whom would have some extremely odd encounters of their own along the way (sea creatures, unicorns, cursed hats, etc.). Everyone in the novel, in fact, tends to find their own monster--or, perhaps, is their own monster. This is a novel where symbolism and magical realism weave seamlessly with the stark realities of broken, modern lives. It’s a melancholy tale, but the inventiveness and bravura of the author make this an exhilarating read for anyone who is searching for a work of genuine originality. This is a book that reminds me of no other book—that alone would recommend it—but more than anything it is a beautifully told tale about things all too human. -Brandon C.

[Brandi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sharma Shields's "The Sasquatch Hunter's Almanac: A Novel" is a quirky, eccentric, perfectly unique work unlike anything I have ever read. The story flowed well and I did like the author's rather homespun dialogue. The story itself was quite peculiar (and rather engrossing), as was the novel's end, which I do not want to give away. When it comes right down to it, I cannot think of any one word that describes this work as a whole, except for maybe 'unique'.
Though I found many of the aspects of the novel to be rather bizarre, it was also strangely enjoyable. At times I almost sympathized with Eli, at other times I thought him obsessive/compulsive. I cannot quite explain it, but I would not hesitate to read more of Ms. Shields's works in the future.

[Misha · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an assured, quirky, original debut! I happen to have worked with Sharma years ago in a bookstore, but was unprepared for how good this would be. I cried a lot in the final pages--she knows how to build to a well-earned, unsentimental close. I don't want to say too much about what happens but it unfolds in a dark, beautiful way. Stunning.

***********From my Book Group Buzz review back in 2014:
https://www.booklistreader.com/2014/1...

I usually wait to write about a book until we’re closer to its publication date, but in this case I just can’t wait. The Sasquatch Hunter’s Almanac, by Sharma Shields, is a debut novel by a Spokane, Washington author coming out in January 2015 from Henry Holt.

Full disclosure: I worked with Sharma in a bookstore many moons ago, before she went off to Montana to get her MFA, but my connection with her, while it made me pick up the book, is not what made the book impossible to put down. For one, it is lovely to see a debut novel lauded by authors I also love. Fellow Spokane author Jess Walter called it “Lovely, twisted, and wry,” while Stewart O’Nan, one of my personal favorites, said, “Sharma Shields dares us to follow her through the twisted mazes of her dark rides, tantalizing us with just enough shocks so that when we come out the other side, we immediately want to go again.”

The Sasquatch Hunter’s Almanac begins with a family idyll. Eli Roebuck is nine years old when he watches as his mother welcomes a Sasquatch (whom she introduces as Mr. Krantz), feeds him biscuits (which he devours messily), then grabs her suitcase and leaves Eli and his father behind to be with her mythical man of the woods. Each chapter flips forward in time as Eli grows older, marries, has a daughter, divorces, remarries and has another daughter. But while life carries on for Eli, he never stops searching for his mother and Mr. Krantz.

Shields weaves a story rife with myth and mystery but whose core is about the classic themes of literature: family, connection, obsession and the unpredictability of life. The Sasquatch Hunter’s Almanac is, as Stewart O’Nan, points out, a twisted maze and a dark ride. What blew me away, though, was the moments of insight and wit and emotional depth that grounded its strangeness. I finished this book out of breath, crying and gasping. A book hasn’t surprised and touched me this deeply in a long time. Which is why The Sasquatch Hunter’s Almanac is truly the book I would encourage everyone to consider when planning next year’s book-group reading. Not just to give a debut novelist a boost, but to give yourselves a book to remember, reread, and talk about again and again. This book is just that good.

[Jessica Sullivan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m rarely one for magical realism, so I’m surprised by how much I loved this book. I think because it was so unapologetically dark, because its characters and their conflicts were so real, I never found it silly.

When Eli Roebuck is a young boy, his mother walks off with a Sasquatch named Mr. Krantz and never comes back. What follows is a series of vignettes, often skipping years at a time, that chronicle Eli’s entire life. His obsession with finding Mr. Krantz affects everyone around him—and they, too, face their own monsters and demons.

Certain chapters read like dark fairytales or parables, focusing on different people close to Eli: his first and second wives, his daughters, and even (most interestingly) his mother and Mr. Krantz, who live together happily in the woods for decades.

At times funny and clever, disturbing and sad, this is a deeply weird and haunting book about a dysfunctional family that’s surprisingly very moving.

[Bam cooks the books · Rating 4 out of 5]

**Mother-daughters book club read for September, 2023**

What's a kid to do when his mother walks off with Sasquatch and leaves her family behind? For 9-year-old Eli Roebuck, the hunt for Sasquatch becomes a lifelong obsession. His story is told in small vignettes that move the plot forward in time. Eli becomes a dentist, marries twice and has a daughter with each wife but no one is really happy--Eli's problems affect the entire family.

This is a wildly imaginative story with some supernatural aspects. It can be quite heart-breaking but also has humorous moments. Strange and different.

[Sonia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I probably can't objectively review this book because I know the author so well- but I loved it. More than I expected to (and I knew I would). I was very moved, the characters will stay with me for a long time. Wonderful writing- I was totally transported.

[Allison ༻hikes the bookwoods༺ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank God that's over. Let this book serve as a reminder to self that what sounds like an interesting concept doesn't always make for an interesting read.

[Julianne (Leafling Learns・Outlandish Lit) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eli Roebuck sees his mother leave his family for a sasquatch one day. I was ready for this to be a metaphor, but there is legitimately a sasquatch (Mr. Krantz) who lives his sasquatch life in the forest. And there are unicorns. And bird people. And lake monsters. I mean, granted, there's still some metaphor. But it's weird. Really weird.

We follow Eli as he grows up and continues his obsession with finding this sasquatch. It affects all aspects of his life, and we get to look into the lives of people this obsession touches: both of his wives, his daughter, his father, his mother. It's a very strange, very excellent look at the effect obsession has on families and what damage can be done--and hopefully reversed. And the magical realism is a fantastic blend of whimsical and dark.

Read more: 5 Quirky Books to Make You Feel Normal

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book so much. In its pages we read about monsters, unicorns, and curses, yet at its heart it's a moving story about family and how the choices we make can haunt those we love for a very long time. This novel transfixed me from beginning to end. I've never read anything like it.

[Jeanette · Rating 3 out of 5]

I rounded up for the prose style of the writing. It's clear, direct, and descriptive woods locations. But for me it was a 2.5 star on a whole and a 2 or less for plot. At exactly the 1/2 way point I became disinterested in Eli's maneuverings, his progression toward searching for Mr. Krantz, or his current family situation. Overall, the book was quite uneven. As decades pass, and the year changes with different chapters, it is far more like a series of short stories rather than a plotted novel. There were some characters who had depth, like Amelia. Otherwise I would have 2 starred it, despite the clear and sharp writing. The creatures who were clearly ones of a type of magic realism, either didn't scare me, or just seemed rather ridiculous. The only one who rather creeped me out was Marion's father.

None of the characters in this book seemed at all like people I have known. Beyond flawed, beyond selfish- and quite on a par with Mr. Krantz, actually. So the magic realism of the "different" creatures hardly worked for me, as they all seemed so creature-like, even the humans. Magic realism lovers may enjoy this far more than I.

[Drew · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely debut, full of whimsy (good whimsy) and magic. Shields has a light touch, which benefits the story by keeping it honest. Sasquatch is established right off the bat and, as such, we already know a ton about the world we're about to visit. Combined with easy-going prose and the right dash of both humor and pathos, you end up with a delightful (if not terribly impactful) debut. I only wish it had gone even farther into itself, for then it might've been something truly exceptional.

More at RB: http://ragingbiblioholism.com/2014/10...

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

I did not want this book to end; I absolutely loved every page, every generation's view and every character's pt. of view. Filled with magic and realism and hope and despair, along with a Sasquatch who loves the ladies (and they him), unpredictability... this was one of the best books I've read...ever.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

An original, charming, fun, and surprisingly dark story arc of a, well, weird family. Plus Mr. Krantz, of course. Really good stuff. In lesser hands the quirks would've been twee but Shields has the talent to pull out real pathos and hurt and beauty from the quirky characters and settings.

[Rich Lundeen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was just awesome. Strange, funny, unique characters, excellent writing.

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mr. Krantz sat upright. What had he said? "Sasquatch," he'd said. Why had he said that?

"Our Sasquatch."

The term was familiar. When he'd seen the hunter, for example. "Fuck me!" the man had shouted. "A goddamn Sasquatch!"

He'd heard other names, as well. When his own mother was shot by a different hunter, the hunter had cried, "I bagged Bigfoot, man!" but had begun to shriek incoherently when she peeled herself from the earth, stomach gushing blood, and barreled toward him, fists blazing.

Mr. Krantz had listened to those exclamations and smelled the mingling fear and fascination in the words.

No, he wanted to tell them, I'm human, like you.

I'm the same as you, only bigger, stronger, quieter, lonelier, scarier.

I am you, intensified.

Sharma Shields' The Sasquatch Hunter's Almanac rests easily alongside the works of Neil Gaimon, Kurt Vonnegut, and other writers who dab at the palette of fantasy to create a provocative, detailed painting of humanity. Eli's mother chooses to abandon him by walking into the woods with Bigfoot, Mr. Krantz, in the early 1940s. The novel then proceeds to give glimpses of what this act does to Eli and Eli's loved ones as he proceeds through life. Suffice it to say it's a weird story for everyone involved, since Shields toys with the fabric of reality in every chapter. I never knew what or who was going to be encountered in each subsequent passage.

While the novel does possess some cul de sacs never resolved as well as events which are completely tangential from the main story, Shields' writing and imagination keep the novel from becoming pedestrian and stale. It's a fascinating world and I enjoyed my trek through these woods. I will be reading her subsequent novel The Cassandra as soon as I get my grubby paws on a copy.

His eternal hunt for the beast--a hunt that had ended with a degree of humiliation and amusement--had not been seen by either daughter for what it was: creative, original, baffling, and inspired (as it was seen by Vanessa, who understood Eli's passion in terms of poetry, an equally elusive creature). Instead, they saw it as as misinformed, corny, confusing, and bogus. To Amelia, it was the career of a liar and a philanderer; to Ginger, the career of an adventurous if mistaken man.

But he believes in it, Vanessa had argued, in different tones, with both her daughter and stepdaughter. He believes in it very much. And belief is everything. Don't you see that?

[Isabella · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ve learned I should stop reading things described as Kafkaesque

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

A charming and often very funny novel written with dexterity and wit. And naming the Sasquatch "Mr. Krantz" is wonderful. So while a very enjoyable read, some of the chapters were side trips that didn't really move the narrative forward. Though I do like the way Ms. Shields writes and will actively pursue her other titles. 3.5 stars.

[Jason Golomb · Rating 3 out of 5]

“No," he wanted to tell them, "I'm human like you. I’m the same as you, only bigger, stronger, quieter, lonelier, scarier. I am you, intensified.” It dawned on Mr. Krantz: The doctor was looking for a monster. "He is looking for me."
Mr. Krantz in Sharma Shields’ “The Sasquatch Hunter’s Almanac"


Honestly, I’m not exactly sure how I feel about this book. It’s definitely not ‘about’ Sasquatch..not about the hunters who roam the forests looking for the shy monsters…I mean hominids. The main character, Eli, is in fact, a podiatrist-turned-‘Squatch hunter. It’s a natural profession considering his mother left he and his father to live in the woods with a Sasquatch when he was just a young boy.

The books follows the life, family and connections of Eli. It ranges over 63 years and most of the chapters cover a specific vignette during a different year, during Eli’s existence. A few are focused on Mr. Krantz, the main Sasquatch himself, most zero in on Eli and his exceedingly dysfunctional family.

The book is certainly about obsession. Eli tells his (crazy) first wife that he wants to quit podiatry to focus full time on monster-hunting (I mean hominid-hunting): "I feel that if I don't do this, I will die. I will die a sudden horrible death. Have you ever felt that way about something? That you must either commit fully to the task at hand or die an agonizing death?"

And the book is also certainly about self-discovery. Eli continues, "There's nothing to be ashamed of, Gladys," he said. "This is science. It’s about discovery. Self-discovery, even. The more we know about Sasquatch, the more we’ll know of one another."

It’s also about chasing ghosts; perhaps like Ahab chasing that white whale - always just a fingernail’s length out of reach. And there’s lots of regret.

Shields is a terrific writer, and I suspect those with English degrees will chew up the copious amount of symbolism. However, those looking for a thorough and well-connected narrative may have trouble with the opacity of Shields plot-driving machinations.

None of the characters are particularly likable, and despite the relative shallowness of the characters themselves, I found the conclusion more than a bit touching.

I received this book through the Amazon Vine program.

[Douglas Lord · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eli Roebuck, eight, lives deep in the woods of 1943 Idaho with his stolid dad, Greg, and his “simply bored” mother, Agnes. The last time Eli sees mom, she runs off with Sasquatch, aka ‘Mr. Krantz,’ “the largest person Eli has ever seen, over seven feet tall, and three or four times heavier than Eli’s own dad…as furry and sleek as a grizzly bear.” Eli sees his mom “…transported, elevated” with Mr. Krantz, “maniacally content” with this man/beast whose feet were “…two hairy sleds that moved noiselessly over the floorboards…” But if sadness is a foregone conclusion for Eli, placed in a situation that can’t help but crumple him, so is a certain morbid comedy. When Greg gets him a dog, for example, Eli names it ‘Mother.’ As Eli grows, his searches for meaning—for answers about Sasquatch and his mother, and about the man/thing that took away his yet-formed life—define him. Young adulthood sees Eli acting as though “…sex would deliver him from the memory of his mother. Sinking into another woman, releasing the old ghost.” He becomes a podiatrist who’s married and has two daughters, but he’s more involved with his obsession/search than with them; despite the considerable level of activity in his life, he always circles back to complete the loop begun when he was a child. Shields could play the story straight, but what fun would that be? Instead the book, and Eli’s life, is filled with dream/nightmare sequences that are less supernatural and more supranatural. One describes an upsetting, inescapable fall into a bottomless pit, in another an eagle tries to steal a swaddled baby. Eli’s journey is somehow underground, seemingly underneath and deep within a psychological realm. VERDICT Imaginative, unpredictable, and endearing, this is a pretty phreaky ride.
Find reviews of books for men at Books for Dudes, Books for Dudes, the online reader's advisory column for men from Library Journal. Copyright Library Journal.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC for review.

This is a multi-generational story of the Roebuck family and Mr. Krantz, the sasquatch of the title. Does he exist? Was he a figment of a sad young boy's imagination? We DO get answers, but they hew closely to one of the two quotes which opens the novel:

"She was an evil stepmother.
In her old age she is slowly dying
in an empty hovel.

She shudders
like a wad of burnt paper.
She does not remember that she was evil.
But she knows
that she feels cold.
--Anna Swir
She Does Not Remember

The story begins with a very young Eli Roebuck living with parents Greg and Agnes in the woods in a cabin near Stateline. Greg works hard and loves Agnes and Eli very much, but it's just not enough for Agnes. She takes long walks alone in the woods and one day brings home Mr. Krantz, introduces him to Eli and then leaves Eli and home forever, along with Krantz. Eli is never quite sure what happened or what he saw, but the man was seven feet tall and covered with hair...and seemed quite sorry about what was happening to Eli.

Life goes on. Greg works hard to support Eli and to send him to college. He meets Gladys, marries her, becomes a podiatrist and has a child and keeps obsessing about sasquatch. Forty years go by - marriages, children, jobs, people, all come and go, just like in any life, although here we have the undercurrent of Eli's connection to Mr. Krantz - multiple characters narrate the book and it's a lovely little story of magical realism, of dreams denied and fulfilled and a life fully, if not always perfectly, lived. Nicely done.

[Susan (aka Just My Op) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dark, beautiful stories strung together into a novel by the interacting characters – this book was a joy to read despite the darkness. Don't misunderstand me, these are not short stories with a common theme, but each character has his own story, her own view of the world.

It is creative, fantastic, and very imaginative. The characters are likable, or at least people I cared about, even though every single one of them had at least one major flaw, and usually a whole boatload of them. Oddness abounds.

Sasquatch, early in the book, takes a wife, and nothing will ever be the same again. You do, of course, have to suspend disbelief, and there is much of what falls into the category of magic realism, at least as I understand the term. This can be done very badly, or as in this case, as something delightful to read. “Quirky” can certainly be applied to this story.

While this book is about the characters in it, including the inimitable Sasquatch, it does have some action in it. Not exactly action-packed, but not all navel gazing either.

When I started this book, I hoped I would like it and be entertained by it. That I ended up loving it was a complete and wonderful surprise.

I was given an advance reader's copy of this book for review.

[Bruce · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Sasquatch Hunter's Almanac is a monster story of sorts, but not the kind you might usually read. If you think of fantasy as dragons, knights, and swords, then be prepared for something different. I classified this as literature instead of fantasy. A dark and quirky kind of literature.

Mr. Krantz is a sasquatch monster, and Eli Roebuck is a monster hunter, a scientist who studies the sasquatch his entire life, wanting to prove to the world that they exist. Eli's mother left their family for Mr. Krantz when Eli was a young boy, and he's been obsessed with the monster every since. The book doesn't follow a normal progression, but is told in short stories with long years missing in between. Set in Spokane (called Lilac City), the story follows the lives of Eli and Mr. Krantz.

The writing is so beautiful it felt to me more like flowing poetry than prose, and the stories read like dark magical fairy tales. As the stories recount the tales of Eli and Mr. Krantz, they tell about life and about the monsters that inhabit life, marriage, family, friendships, and individuals, reeking their havoc and destruction, making us into the people we become.

[Allison · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was hearing about this book, and then was given a copy by a friend who had also gone to see the author at a reading, so I had high hopes. Which isn't to say they were dashed, entirely, but if people fall into one of two camps with this book, I'd be in the detractor camp.

Shields is a good storyteller. Despite the unlikable-ness of all (yes...I think all) of the characters, I was interested. Heath & I started reading this together, but he didn't enjoy it, so I ended up finishing it in a couple days on my own. I was largely okay with the magical realism (not sure what else to call it, but it's still not quite the right term), but for the ~half of the book that was side-character stories with bizarre elements, there seemed to be no point. Gladys, Marion, Ginger's experiences...all full of even more wtf-ery than Mr. Krantz/Agnes/Eli, but there was no connection to the larger story.

I guess ultimately it was about the family relationships, but geez, that's depressing and fairly nihilistic. I don't need uplifting from all my books, but purpose helps.

[Chris Roberts · Rating 1 out of 5]

Dirt and Shiny caw 'bout Sasscrotch.

Dirt: "I done seen it all. A big, ol' Sasscrotch a belching and runny around. Oh, wait. That therey could in be my mother--in-lawed, har, har! (cuts a plug of baccy, working it 'tween cheek and gum) He all is a kidnapping Sassocrotch, don't that beat all, today and morrow more."

Shiny (a painting her nails) "Biggin Foots is good fer nature. Theys eat on bugs and such and stupid hunters lost all in the wooden. Where in hell did they come up with naming a big tree ape a Sasscritch? (scratches her scalp, dander everywire) You can smell one a thousand miles away."

Dirt (spits baccy juice and wipes his pie hole with his filthy shirt) "The damn thing it is Sassycrik snatches up Mrs. Brady and thems poor youngins is without mother's milk and the show is hell off the air. It don't make a damn lick of sense. I 'bout worked up my drinking gland with all this herey yakking on a man-o-beast. Let's get our party on, pass that there shine jug girl!

Chris Roberts

[Kris Dinnison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sharma and I are friends, but even if we weren't, I would still be in love with this stunningly good first novel. It's really a literary family drama with the occasional (and in the context of the story, completely "normal"), appearance of a few creatures we don't typically see in literary fiction. There were so many moments that took hold of my heart and squeezed, so many characters that I wanted to stay with and have coffee with and know better, so many moments where I had to stop and read a line again because the writing was so lovely and powerful. Like her short story collection, Favorite Monster, this book straddles seamlessly the line between reality and whatever lies just adjacent to reality. (This novel comes out January 27th.) http://scribbleandhum.blogspot.com/20...

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

For me this was probably a 4.5, but I used to work with Sharma so I rounded up not down. :) This is not the genre/type of book I would usually pick up. But with knowing Sharma a little, and knowing many of her friends, and also with it being set in the Inland Northwest, I knew I wanted to give it a try. I'm very glad I did. Her writing style is amazing. Even though many of her characters are not likeable people, you still find yourself rooting for them. Even though I don't enjoy fantasy usually, I found myself drawn into the story and the humanness of it that the fantastical suddenly seemed completely normal. So hard to describe this book (which is something it seems most agree on.) If you are on the fence, give it a try. This one will stick with you and you will be thinking about it long after you are done...

[Valerie Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This reads more like a book of closely linked short stories rather than a typical novel. I wasn't expecting this going in, so it took me a few pages to settle into the rhythm but once I did I find myself really loving this book. It's full of heart and full of strange. Wonderful details to sink my teeth into, eccentric characters, lots of drama, great writing.