Reviews of Neck Deep and Other Predicaments

“Monson, one must admit, is pretty darn clever. . . a daft, spoofing technician of not-quite-literary forms. . . Monson revels in the ways information flows through the world.” —The New York Times Book Review

“The essay turns the outline discussion into a backbeat as it quickly shifts into an insightful, funny and moving discussion of the UP’s flagging economy and the consequent adjustments Monson’s family must make.”—TimeOut Chicago

“Strange and delightful…cutting edge.”—Star Tribune (Minneapolis)

“In this often amusing, inventive, and unconventional approach to autobiography, Monson comes at us sideways with personal revelations and observations that are alternately filled with infectious enthusiasm and shamefaced contrition.” —Rain Taxi Review of Books

“A delightful read…the genius in Monson’s writing is in synchronistic balance of word crafting and visual form.” —Grand Rapids Press

“The interrelated stories, set in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula in the bleakest midwinter, represent a sort of inventory that drifts again and again into stretches of purely poetic language.” —The Rake

“[Monson] has a miniaturist, free-associative humour, which is what you want in an essayist.” —Guardian Unlimited

“Puts most memoirs to shame.” —Jonathan Messinger, Time Out Chicago

“Monson’s subjects are engaging and engaged.” —Judith Kitchen, Water-Stone Review

“A surprising alloy of caper and elegy.” —Liz Brown, Frieze