Gargoyle Hunters by John Freeman Gill

Gargoyle Hunters by John Freeman Gill

The Gargoyle Hunters by John Freeman Gill is set in 1970s New York City, where Thirteen year old Gryffon is trying to navigate between his recently divorced parents. Gryffon’s mother takes on all sorts of unusual and down-on-their-luck tenants in their brownstone, while Gryffon’s dad goes so deep into architectural preservation that he enlists Gryffon’s help in “rescuing” -- stealing -- frescoes, gargoyles, and similar features from buildings that are scheduled to be torn down.  From Gryff’s father we get countless lessons in the details of older New York City buildings. Gryff takes this in stride. He’s 13, after all, and just as much of the story is about coming of age in a much grittier and more dangerous New York City than the tourist- friendly big apple we know today. Gryff tries to make out with an older high school girl, has his bike stolen when he only locks the front tire to the bike rack, and gets revenge on some bratty older boys by setting a flood inside a ritzy high-rise.

The story is told by Gryff as an adult, looking back on his coming of age years, so some of the tales are more interesting in their remembrance, such as boys hocking lugies onto a wall to see whose will drip down the farthest, or getting a tongue stuck to the frozen interior of the Statue of Liberty. In places this nostalgia feel is similar to Jean Shepherd’s novel, In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash, which became the movie“A Christmas Story.” But rather than Christmas in Cleveland, this nostalgia is about balancing on the ledges of high rises to liberate gargoyles for the sake of history.  

The story has its quirks, but it’s a memorable coming of age story that will probably make you appreciate some of the architectural features of older buildings downtown.