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A review by jonisbookquest
Monstrilio by Gerardo Sámano Córdova
5.0
Sometimes you find these books that grab you from the very first page and just don’t let you go. ‘Monstrilio’ was one of those books for me. It had been a while since I read something so hauntingly beautiful as this.
‘Monstrilio’ tells the story of Magos and Joseph, who lose their son Santiago to a terrible lung disease. In a desperate attempt to keep something of him with her, Magos removes a piece of Santiago’s lung and takes it with her to Mexico. There, her housekeeper and her mother’s best friend Jackie tells her the story of a woman who fed a heart and turned it in to a beautiful man. With nothing to lose, Magos begins to feed the piece of lung. Slowly but surely it turns into a man, that strongly resembles Santiago – and longs for human flesh.
I went into ‘Monstrilio’ expecting a horror story, but it wasn’t quite that. It was more so this striking portrayal of grief, of unconditional love and family. When I enjoy a book, I always find it difficult to say why exactly. Yes, the writing style was strong. Yes, the story subverted expectations. Yes, the characters were complex and thought-provoking. But I think the thing that stood out most for me, is how this story made me relate.
I related to Magos, hiding her grief behind a smile, never managing to let go. I related to Joseph, sad and confused, desperately wanting someone to feel the sadness he felt. And most of all I related to M, who tried so hard to be the man his parents wanted him to be, but was just set up for failure from the start.
‘Monstrilio’ had this unique take on grief, that I haven’t seen a lot. The characters are messy, sometimes even deplorable, but through all of that they feel like real people, who make mistakes, who feel happy and sad, sometimes all at the same time. For me, ‘Monstrilio’ explored what it means to be human, what it means to love, what it means to let go.
I would highly recommend giving ‘Monstrilio’ a shot, if you enjoy a story that seems so simple on the surface, but has so many layers underneath. Don’t expect it to scare you, don’t expect a lot of gore. At its core, ‘Monstrilio’ is not a horror novel, but a tragic story about a family, their hope and their despair.
Trigger warnings: animal and human death, death of a child, mild body horror and gore, physical violence and drug use.
Also contains mention of: suicide, cult activity.
And for all of my sex-repulsed aces out there: this does contain explicit sexual scenes.
‘Monstrilio’ tells the story of Magos and Joseph, who lose their son Santiago to a terrible lung disease. In a desperate attempt to keep something of him with her, Magos removes a piece of Santiago’s lung and takes it with her to Mexico. There, her housekeeper and her mother’s best friend Jackie tells her the story of a woman who fed a heart and turned it in to a beautiful man. With nothing to lose, Magos begins to feed the piece of lung. Slowly but surely it turns into a man, that strongly resembles Santiago – and longs for human flesh.
I went into ‘Monstrilio’ expecting a horror story, but it wasn’t quite that. It was more so this striking portrayal of grief, of unconditional love and family. When I enjoy a book, I always find it difficult to say why exactly. Yes, the writing style was strong. Yes, the story subverted expectations. Yes, the characters were complex and thought-provoking. But I think the thing that stood out most for me, is how this story made me relate.
I related to Magos, hiding her grief behind a smile, never managing to let go. I related to Joseph, sad and confused, desperately wanting someone to feel the sadness he felt. And most of all I related to M, who tried so hard to be the man his parents wanted him to be, but was just set up for failure from the start.
‘Monstrilio’ had this unique take on grief, that I haven’t seen a lot. The characters are messy, sometimes even deplorable, but through all of that they feel like real people, who make mistakes, who feel happy and sad, sometimes all at the same time. For me, ‘Monstrilio’ explored what it means to be human, what it means to love, what it means to let go.
I would highly recommend giving ‘Monstrilio’ a shot, if you enjoy a story that seems so simple on the surface, but has so many layers underneath. Don’t expect it to scare you, don’t expect a lot of gore. At its core, ‘Monstrilio’ is not a horror novel, but a tragic story about a family, their hope and their despair.
Trigger warnings: animal and human death, death of a child, mild body horror and gore, physical violence and drug use.
Also contains mention of: suicide, cult activity.
And for all of my sex-repulsed aces out there: this does contain explicit sexual scenes.