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Title: Things Grak Hates
Author: Peter J Story
Narrator: Marie Story
Format: Unabridged
Length: 10 hrs and 43 mins
Language: English
Release date: 05-14-15
Publisher: Paper Newt
Ratings: 5 of 5 out of 1 votes
Genres: Fiction, Contemporary
Publisher's Summary:
Grak hates things. Lots of things. And with a peculiar intensity, too.
Grak's contempt is so strong, in fact, that it often leaves his fellow tribesmen bewildered. And when attempting to describe his personality, they find themselves in need of words with greater nuance. "Neurotic" is typically used. "Sociopath" and "narcissist" are also common terms. The most popular descriptor, however, is "pathological."
Grak, on the other hand, sees his situation in a rather different light. He finds his behavior "necessary" and "selfless," or even "benevolent" when his mood is just so. Most often, though, he simply attributes his nature to "being human."
But of all the things Grak despises, his antipathy for olives takes precedence. In his efforts to be rid of this nuisance, he gets his first taste of power and ignites a series of events with troubling consequences. Unwilling to give up his newfound influence, he sets about honing his only true talent: manipulation. But as his grip tightens, Grak's naively selfish exterior crumbles to reveal a dark and malicious evil....
In his debut work, author Peter J. Story brews a robust psychological satire infused with dry humor and a pinch of emotion. Set just prior to recorded history, Things Grak Hates chronicles the life of a bizarre nomad and his descent toward evil. Along the way, this unconventional and introspective allegory explores a variety of complex issues. Among them: power, politics, religion, redemption, the dissemination of ideas, and human nature itself.
Members Reviews:
How do people like Grak stay in power?
Things Grak Hates is somewhat reminiscent of Lord of the Flies. A rather innocent group succumbs to the manipulation of a petty tyrant. Like Jack Merridew, Grak uses domination, torture and brutality to keep his nave tribe in line. Grak succumbs to bloodlust and eventual insanity as his quest for power balloons out of control.
Grak's tribe seems to be an unfortunate reflection of our modern society. Rather than standing up to Grak's tyranny, they carry on with their habitual lifestyles and are happy as long as they have "bread and circuses." For a long time, Grak's people only complain when their basic comforts are compromised. The rest of the time, they're perfectly happy to let Grak run amok, and to drag everyone along with him on his downward spiral.
Habit can only keep people in line for a while though. When people FINALLY start to complain, Grak has to take a new approach. Fear and domination cause just enough discomfort to make (nearly) everyone fall back in line. Rather than challenging Grak's insanity and tyranny (and dealing with the fear head-on), his tribe opts to roll over and let Grak have his way.
I think that Grak is going to quickly join the ranks of loathed literary characters. Like Jack Merridew in Lord of the Flies, and like Napoleon in Animal Farm, Grak is a character that everyone is going to love to hate.
Don't get me wrong though, this book is definitely worth reading. It's really well written, and the author perfectly captured Grak's neurotic personality. The descent into Grak's psyche is definitely cringe-inducing, but Things Grak Hates is a ride worth taking.
He starts off pretty normalâ he just REALLY hates olives
Grak is a self-centered fellow from start to finish, and thatâs really his downfall.
