Monstrilio

A very different sort of Bildungsroman. Monstrilio is about trying to find where you fit in and about unconditional love. I don’t think I’d put this in the horror genre at all, although some horrible things do happen, as they do in many novels. I’m not sure fantasy or magical realism is right either—maybe monstrous realism? In any case, it’s a very moving story about grief and acceptance, about trying to fit a square peg into a round hole, and ultimately accepting that it won’t fit and finding ways to accommodate and love it despite—or even for—its squareness.

A grieving family loses its only child, and gains another, not-quite-human susbtitute. Uncomfortable, unsettling, and unhinged in the best way. I loved how the writing changed subtly with each POV shift, giving each character a distinct voice. I'm so used to shifting POVs that alternate with every chapter, so the choice to assign a different narrator per time period felt new to me, and it worked quite well. Magos' crazed grief to start, followed by Lena's tired devotion and Joseph's desperate normalcy, and ending with M's conflict between nature vs. nurture? Incredible structure, there was no better way to do it. The story would occasionally veer into unexpected directions, in a way that engaged me and kept me on my toes (the anxiety I show more felt in M's part never really went away until the end lol). The story went from Refreshingly Odd at the start to Spine-chilling in the end, like Monstrilio's otherness (and his guardians' grief) never fully disappears, even after attempts are made to dilute it, it comes roaring back with an acid-searing vengeance. I unexpectedly enjoyed every character in this book (even Magos at her Worst?!? #femaleWRONGS), and this story's send-off was well-done. I can't say I'll miss them but they Will live rent-free in my head. show less

The beginning of this book left me unsure of whether I'd continue--the atmosphere of grief was so heavy, so real, that it just wasn't what I needed in the moment, and I wondered if I'd gotten the wrong impression of the book. I mention this, though, because I'm so glad I read past that part. I can't say that I actually liked many of Cordova's characters, but he did a wonderful job of bringing them to life, and his writing is brilliant, with fantastic little gems of humor that surprised me at various turns. At one point, I was totally enraged with the humans in this work--more so than I think I've ever been angered by fictional characters in my life--and that's testament to Cordova's storytelling.

I'll certainly look forward to reading show more Cordova's work in the future, and I'll recommend this one. It's a blend of genres that's most reminiscent of the classic works of magical realism that I've read, and utterly entrancing. Even when I wanted or needed a break from some of the personalities in this book, I couldn't stop thinking of Monstrilio and wondering where we were going. For me, the book ends up being a 4-star read only because I did hate a number of the characters so very much that I didn't always enjoy the read, and that the ending left me feeling a little disappointed.

Still, absolutely recommended. show less

When her young son dies, a mother, overcome with sorrow, cuts open his body and takes a small segment of his lung. Placing it in a jar, she leaves her husband to return to Mexico City, where she feeds and nurtures the piece of lung until it eventually becomes something that isn't her son, or even human, but very much alive and with its own urges and tastes.

Monstrilio begins as a story about grief and how it can pull people together and drive them apart, and then it becomes something else. Structured into four segments, following the mother, her best friend, the husband and finally, Monstrilio itself, this is a story that goes in unanticipated directions as the human characters care for the strange creature, but struggle to find a show more balance between letting it live its life and forming it into something like the lost son. This is an odd and oddly compelling story despite the characters behaving in ways that no actual person ever would. show less

This book took the most beautiful and human parts of Frankenstein and distilled them into something impossibly potent. If the themes of Frankenstein are a delicious seared salmon, Monstrilio is a straight shot of fish sauce. And I happen to like that kind of thing.The way this book depicts grief is an absolute masterpiece. It doesn't shy away from death. It digs its hands into death's chest and pulls out a piece of its lung so it can be cherished forever.I spent most of this book crying.I loved this book so much that I gifted it to my dad. That's probably the strongest endorsement I can give.

A woman grows a replacement child from a chunk of her dead son's lung.

Where there should be grief and horror, this book has an unappealing emotional detachment. I find it hard to credit the characters with any sort of inner life; they have impulses, not feelings.

While I do like the premise, I cannot praise the execution.

Received via NetGalley.

Told in four acts from four perspectives, 'Monstrilio' by Gerardo Sámano Córdova is a lyrically written, (often times) horrific look at love and grief, acceptance and expectation. Thank you so much to NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook, expertly narrated by Victoria Villarreal and Johnny Rey Diaz.

Margos, gripped by the loss of her young child, and armed with the promise of a folktale, takes a piece of her son, his lung, and tries to bring back the child she has lost. What comes is not her son, but she is moved by love and need to protect this "creature". This is horror, and terrible, disturbing things happen. The creature born of desperation and hope, is monster-like, driven by impulse, despite how human he show more seems. But it is profoundly moving, thought provoking and philosophical. I found myself aching for each perspective, empathizing with things I recognized and longing to understand, that which was unfamiliar. The family group we follow is complicated, nuanced, each bringing their own inner worlds to the decisions the make and secrets they keep. It was fascinating, and extremely well done. Additionally, the writing is magnificent. Tense, dark, atmospheric it begs that you lean in close.

I would definitely read more from this author. I loved this. show less