The Monsters of Templeton

by Lauren Groff · 1998

When brilliant archaeology student Wilhelmina "Willie" Cooper returns to her ancestral hometown of Templeton, New York, she finds herself thrust into a mystery that stretches back two centuries. Fresh from a scandalous affair with a married professor, Willie seeks refuge with her hippie‑turned‑born‑again mother, only to witness a fifty‑foot monster rise from Lake Glimmerglass, shattering the town’s quiet façade. As the creature’s death ripples through the community, Willie discovers that the story of her father—long told as a free‑love commune romance—is a lie. Using her archaeological expertise, she delves into the tangled genealogy of her family, unearthing ghostly voices from Templeton’s past and uncovering dark, intergenerational secrets. In this spellbinding blend of contemporary drama, historical fiction, and ghost story, the boundaries between past and present blur, and the truth about love, loss, and legacy finally comes to light.