A Werewolf at Christmas

infobox Book |
name = A Werewolf at Christmas
title_orig =
translator =
author = Mikhael Trenton
cover_artist =
country = New Zealand
language = English
series =
genre = Novel
publisher =
release_date = 1976
media_type = Print (paperback)
pages = 542 pp
isbn =
preceded_by =
followed_by =

"A Werewolf at Christmas", the first novel by Georgian-born author Mikhael Trenton, was first published in 1976, upon his arrival into New Zealand. The novel was a controversial critical success.

Set in the United States, "A Werewolf at Christmas" tells the story of a dysfunctional family's members at Christmas time. The narration is omniscient and shifts between the six members of the Cave family, centering mainly around the parents, John and Louis Cave. Their son David is a heroin addict, their youngest son and daughter Alice and William, who are twins, appear to be embarking on a tentative incestuous relationship, and their other daughter Rachel is the only successful member of the family, although her rise to the top of the marketing world is hampered by corruption and deceit.

The end of the novel is infamously nihilistic; Trenton classified it as a tragedy. William Douglas of the New Zealand Listener praised the book's "rich seam of violence and tragedy" [William Douglas, "Ones to Watch" The New Zealand Listener, June 12-15 1976] , saying it paralleled the state of the Western world, most notably the United States and its involvement in the Vietnam War.

Themes

Trenton, who considers himself a westernized foreigner, made pointed references to westernization within the novel, depicting the United States as a brutal dictatorship, a dog-eat-dog world in which even people at the top are not immune to human vices. This is most notable in the story of Rachel Cave, who, despite being at the top of her game in the marketing industry, is susceptible to the same vices and internal problems as the drug-addled David. It is indicated at the close of the novel that the only logical conclusion that the Western world can have is destruction.

References