Disillusioned PhD student Brian take a gig assisting former alien abductee and current monster hunter Mark Sandoval in his investigation of a unicorn sighting on an island off the coast of Iceland. While the unicorn proves elusive, maybe there's Something Else lurking in the surrounding woods and why exactly is there a US military base on the island? More importantly, will both men face up to the real monsters they're running from from? There's a lot to unpack in this wonderful novel which defies classification. Maybe a horror/magical realism/family drama mashup; it covers so many bases and it covers them so bloody well. I really loved the "first there is a mountain, then there is no mountain, then there is" nature of the preternatural elements of the book. There's a big reveal, in passing, because that's not really what the novel's about. The worst monsters are in ourselves: literally and metaphorically and we must face up to them sometime. Wouldn't the world be a more interesting and larger place if people were abducted by aliens and forests are littered with roaming unicorns?
Funny, poignant, with a terrific ending. Good luck, Brian!