It turns out Theseus didn't slay the Minotaur in the labyrinth 5,000 years ago as we've been led to believe. The Minotaur survived, although he's no longer interested in the horrendous acts that he was once known for, including feasting on virgins and children. Instead, he lives a banal life of repairing his car, attempting personal grooming despite physical limitations and taking cigarette breaks during his boring day job.
Today, the Minotaur lives in rural North Carolina, resides in a trailer park and works as a line cook at Grub's Rib in addition to doing odd jobs for his neighbors. The novel covers a two week time period in the Minotaur's life, as he struggles through life in the 1990s American South made worse by the fact that he is a mythological creature with the body of a man and the head of a bull.
The Minotaur desires to build relationships with his co-workers and neighbors, and to just make a connection with someone. His co-workers at the steakhouse allow him to tag along on their shenanigans and his neighbors are nice enough, but the Minotaur just cannot seem to make any real friends. He spends the two weeks trying to overcome is monster-like appearance to be accepted by his peers, but his bitterness and loneliness only lead him to isolate himself farther.
Author Steven Sherrill is still fairly new on the fiction scene, as Minotaur was his debut novel. His writing has, however, received critical acclaim and appeared on bestseller lists. He has proved himself to be a master at illustrating the plight of the human condition from unique vantage points, and this talent is evident in The Minotaur Takes a Cigarette Break.
"What has been called an allegory for the Southern US, the story is about, yes, a minotaur...in fact, THE Minotaur, as he copes with his life as a cook in some roadside diner along the highway. A sympathetic, if odd, treatment of this character yet one that surprisingly works extremely well. Absolutely worth the read..."
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Robb (4 out of 5 stars)