Monstrilio
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4.1 • 46 Ratings
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
A "genuinely scary" horror debut written in "prose so beautiful you won't want to rush" about a boy who transforms into a monster, a monster who tries to be a man, and the people who love him in every form he takes (Ana Reyes)
Grieving mother Magos cuts out a piece of her deceased eleven-year-old son Santiago's lung. Acting on fierce maternal instinct and the dubious logic of an old folktale, she nurtures the lung until it gains sentience, growing into the carnivorous little Monstrilio she keeps hidden within the walls of her family's decaying Mexico City estate. Eventually, Monstrilio begins to resemble the Santiago he once was, but his innate impulses—though curbed by his biological and chosen family's communal care—threaten to destroy this fragile second chance at life.
A thought-provoking meditation on grief, acceptance, and the monstrous sides of love and loyalty, Gerardo Sámano Córdova blends bold imagination and evocative prose with deep emotional rigor. Told in four acts that span the globe from Brooklyn to Berlin, Monstrilio offers, with uncanny clarity, a cathartic and precise portrait of being human.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
Full of both horror and heart, this novel about a grieving mother reminds us that we all have a monster in us. Overcome with grief and desperation when her young son Santiago dies, Mexican mother Magos remembers an odd folktale and impulsively decides to remove a piece of the boy’s lung. She cares for it, hoping it will grow into a reborn Santiago, but instead it grows into a furry monster—with horrifying instincts. As the perspective moves between Magos, her husband Joseph, her friend Lena, and the monster himself, author Gerardo Sámano Córdova unleashes a dazzling discourse on loss, guilt, and much more. Victoria Villarreal and Johnny Rey Diaz’s nuanced narration makes the story’s macabre and mystical aspects feel as grounded as the detailed relationships between the characters. The profound emotions and unadulterated bloodiness of Monstrilio will leave you both deeply moved and wonderfully unsettled.
Customer Reviews
Happily surprised
I did not expect to love this book as much as I did, but I can honestly say I enjoyed it. I heard it was about loss and sad, in a way it is, but this was such an interesting and creative creature book. Enjoyed all the POVs after a certain point as well. The audiobook reading was good, not annoying like some others I’ve listened to.
Loved the writing style except i expected more horror.
Firstly, Magos is the most spoiled person I have ever read about. The whole world does in fact revolve around her. I loved the writing style, I just expected it to be a little darker but that’s just for my particular taste. I want to know what happens to M afterwards, overall I think it’s literally a Mexican vampiric version of wolf’s children.