Review

The Scotsman
April 13th 2002
Reviewer: Carson Howat

If you haven’t heard of Canadian writer Hayter by now, be sure to buy this latest, sharply written creation. Then buy up her back catalogue. Mixing satirical onslaughts on Manhattan archetypes with stunningly simple, yet easily compelling, tales, Hayter is a queen of offbeat modern storytelling. Here she splices the dark comedy, horror (though, surprisingly, not much gore) and ill-fated romance of An American Werewolf In London with the moral supernatural quandaries of Buffy The Vampire Slayer and Angel in a story of good werewolves hunting down the evil of the city and trying to escape the clutches of assorted stalkers, the media, police and an inbred family of werewolf hunters. Writing with fangs.

The List - Glasgow
July 2002
Reviewer: Rowan Martin

Sparkle Hayter takes an interesting look at the traditions of bitchiness and backbiting in the big city and introduces urban werewolves who kill only evil people. But don't assume that Naked Brunch is simply a novelised episode of Buffy: international politics and the unethical practices of major corporations are always present, despite the distinctly light-hearted tone.

This subtle metaphor, however, takes a while to come to the fore. The excellent intentions of Naked Brunch are hampered by the occasionally feeble characterisation; it's near impossible to sympathise with Annie Engel, our innocent, traumatised werewolf protagonist, not to mention the multitudes of 'bubbly;, and often irritating accompanying personalities.

After a slowish start, Naked Brunch speeds up to an exciting, if confused, action-filled ending. It's worth it for the fun genre-bending and subversive treatment of classical horror idols. The thinly veiled critique of western multinationals' policies in Asia should also be applauded.

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