Grendel

Blech. I REALLY didn't liked this book. I've had it since my junior year of high school, from when we read _Beowulf_ and I think I bought it to read for extra credit, or because I had genuinely liked _Beowulf_... but I never read it. We rented the movie _Beowulf_ so I decided to read it. I fount it to be very boring... so boring, in fact that I almost didn't finish it. Maybe if I had read _Beowulf_ more recently... well, I don't know, but really, it was boring!

"Grendel" is the story of the monster in the epic poem Beowulf, told from Grendel's perspective and describing his life before Beowulf comes into the picture. On the surface, Grendel is the account of a downward spiral of self-loathing--how Grendel became a monster. On a deeper level, Grendel is about self-identity, religion, fate, and human nature. Much like the epic poem, "Grendel" is a book that takes some thought if it is to be truly understood.

I prefer the original Beowulf, but this novel really challenged my thinking. It had me wondering about evil and if society creates evil by rejecting those who are different.