"Magic realism abounds in this coming-of-age story about battling monsters, real and symbolic." —Entertainment Weekly
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 and sometimes downright horrifying, 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.
"Believable and wise." —San Francisco Chronicle
" An interesting novel about childhood abandonment, teenage rebellion, first and second marriages, and the chaos that love wreaks on families." —Washington Post
"A smart narrative, great characters and an ending to die for." —Shelf Awareness, starred review
"Deeply strange and strangely moving. Like Kafka's The Metamorphosis, it demands and rewards surrender." —Richard Russo, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of Empire Falls