night of the mannequins stephen graham jones

But damn if Jones doesn’t make that possible. I like seeing someone who does bad stuff get their comeuppance. I kind of hate Jones for being so good at this sort of thing. Sure, the actions of Sawyer are unforgivable, but I don’t’ think you can blame him. Jones really does a phenomenal job here getting into the mind of someone who clearly has mental issues without portraying them negatively. And, like The Only Good Indians, Night of the Mannequins is thought-provoking, intense, at times creepy, and damning. Like in his last release, The Only Good Indians, Jones creates a world where there are really no unlikable characters, even though there are characters with questionable motives (except for Sawyer’s friend’s dad he’s a bit of a prick). It’s a surreal feeling to feel empathy for someone doing such vile things. He genuinely believes the things he’s doing in attempt to save people will really work. But, oddly, you don’t hate him for what he’s doing because it’s obvious his heart is in the right place. The things Sawyer does in an effort to keep people safe from Manny are absolutely despicable. It takes a special kind of skill to make a likable antagonist, and Jones has it. Plus, the dialogue of the teens is so natural and so…youth-like without feeling forced, adding to the believability of both the character and the story. I can’t even say he’s a typical dumb teen because I’m pretty confident some of his thoughts were my own at that age. Sawyer’s lack of life experience is so heavy, you are almost crushed by its weight.

He’s obviously a teenager, and, man, Jones nails it. This is something you need to discover organically.īefore I get to anything else, I have to address the voice of Sawyer. I’m not going to get into the details of what exactly is happening because that would ruin it somewhat for you. Unreliable narrator is an understatement here. Then one day, a prank went horribly wrong and Manny came alive and went on a killing spree. See, Sawyer and his group of pals found Manny in a creek and used him for all sorts of pranks. His latest novel, Night of the Mannequins, is a surreal romp through the life of Sawyer Grimes and his journey to do whatever it takes to stop a giant mannequin, named…wait for it…Manny, from terrorizing the city and killing innocent people. I don’t know if there’s a similar term for authors, but if there is, it would describe Stephen Graham Jones. For example, you always know you’re watching a Stephen Spielberg movie be it drama ( Saving Private Ryan), sci/fi ( Close Encounters of the Third Kind), or horror ( Poltergeist fight me). Auteur is a term commonly used for filmmakers who have a distinct flavor and style to their work, no matter what the genre.

Night of the mannequins stephen graham jones