Sharp Teeth

I picked up 'Sharp Teeth' by Toby Barlow mainly because Nick Hornby and Christopher Moore gave it good reviews, but also a little bit because it is about werewolves. I cannot resist werewolves. However it follows much more in the footsteps of 'Steppenwolf' by Herman Hesse than traditional werewolf fare, the were bit being a metaphor for escapism. Once again having stumbled into a book focusing on humanism I was proud of myself for my uncanny ability to pick books about humanism, until I realized that very few books do not revolve around human problems as most writers and readers, are human. And that if I were to find one it would probably be in my stupid werewolf book. That was my revelation of the day.

I realized I was going to like 'Sharp Teeth' before I started the book, on the authors quote page. The quotes were as follows:

'There is no document of civilization that is not at the same time a document of barbarism.'

By Walter Benjamin, and

'His hair was perfect.'

By Warren Zevon.

These quotes sum up 'Sharp teeth' well, the 'werewolves' interact in every way (enemy, lover, best friend, betrayer, etc., most play more than one of these roles) their wolf selves immolating the actions of their human selves. Their struggle is much more the internal fight to care that what they fight for is immaterial and let go than the gang wars between the packs themselves.
Toby Barlow writes in free verse, which helps emphasis his rhetoric, I caught the main metaphor many more times than I would have had he not devoted entire lines to a single word, etc. The story line flows.

All the characters live in Los Angeles, most are Mexican immigrants. The werewolves form multiple gangs, "Packs", that fight each other for territory and survival, and Barlow spares the reader no pain from the deaths. The book is told from a rotating perspective of most of the characters, and culminates in a giant battle that leaves two survivors (who they are a big surprise). 'Sharp Teeth' shatters the usual villain-hero archetype, be3cause the reader is forced to see from every perspective I sympathized with all the characters and wanted all of them to win. The kicker is that the only way they survive is by killing the other side. This no-win scenario drew me in and broke my heart multiple times, but I wouldn’t change it.