Sandy is new to this whole werewolf thing.
Until six months ago he was just a regular guy – he had a job at Lowe’s, two drinking buddies, and a strained marriage. When an unexpected act of violence occurs, Sandy has to make a choice. Being a werewolf makes Sandy feel like a man for the first time in his life but, if he lets the beast take over, will he ever be able to return to the life he knew?
The Beast in Aisle 34 starts out as a fun, absurdist romp. We’re introduced pretty quickly to a trio of men calling themselves “Squatch Cops” who are trying to locate the source of some weird activity in the woods. I would love to read a little series about the adventures of the Squatch Cops. The dynamic between Sandy and this trio is great, the narration and dialogue are an absolute blast. And then Sandy is invited along by his buddies to a night of Live Action Role Playing. Naturally, Sandy’s character is a wolfman. This setup has huge potential but doesn’t rise to the occasion.
About midway through, the novel takes a sharp turn and becomes much more serious. Human Sandy doesn’t have much agency over his life, he can’t even remember moving to the house that his wife and her parents picked out. Werewolf Sandy is all macho sensibilities. Both versions of Sandy are wildly unlikeable and I found it hard to root for either one. I actually found myself rooting against him which may have been the point but made for an unpleasant experience. I lost the thread of the multiple metaphors somewhere in the Upper Peninsula and never made it back.
2.5/5 full moons
She Reads At Midnight 
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