Little Monsters

Adrienne Brodeur’s Little Monsters (2023), a work of literary fiction, explores the story of an aging marine biologist and his adult children. Touching on trauma, resilience, and the costs of ambition, Little Monsters is a modernized Cain and Abel story set on Cape Cod. Brodeur lives part-time on the Cape and part-time in Cambridge, Massachusetts. She infuses Little Monsters with her knowledge of beaches and seaside towns. She examines mothers, family, and secrets, subjects of her earlier memoir, Wild Game: My Mother, Her Lover and Me (2019).

This guide refers to the 2023 hardcover edition published by Avid Reader Press, an imprint of Simon and Schuster.

Content Warning: Little Monsters discusses incest, molestation, and sexualization of minors. Depictions of mental illness, particularly bipolar disorder, are frequent and often in charged and negative contexts. Little Monsters also contains descriptions of alcohol abuse and portrayals of terminal cancer.

Plot Summary

Adam Gardner, a marine biologist approaching his 70th birthday and retirement, experiences symptoms of bipolar disorder. As he chooses to forgo his medication and embrace periods of mania, Adam imagines himself on the precipice of an important discovery about whale language and sound.

The book includes six parts, all named for a month in 2016 from April to October.