Scan barcode
A review by thebobsphere
My Name is Monster by Katie Hale
3.0
I will admit that I bought My Name is Monster for one reason and it is a shallow one: I LIKED the cover. There I said it. I also knew that it’s a post apocalyptic novel and that drew me in as well.
The setting of the book is a country that has been put to waste via war and a disease. The narrator, called Monster, is the sole survivor as she travels the land for food and shelter. Eventually she does find a farm complete with chickens and she settles down, venturing to town in order to loot abandoned supermarkets.
The book is divided into page long pieces, which span the Monster’s past: how she was bullied in her youth due to the fact that her interests diverged from what society prescribes for girls. Later on we see Monster living up to her nickname; being uncaring and showing little regard for people’s feeling.
From the past memories we then move on to the wars and sickness which wiped out everyone in the country.
At this point the book is a survival tale of all types. Monster has to survive bullying (the real monsters being the bullies) and in the present day she has to survive the challenges which she faces, ranging from wolf dogs (there’s a great passage about a festering bite) to bad weather.
The book changes when Monster finds a feral child in a store. She then bestows her old name to the child and calls herself mother.
The second Mother becomes a parent she changes completely. She becomes sensitive, caring and learns to love Monster. This leads to the second part of the book in which we see everything from the perspective of the new monster and she talks about her relationship with mother. There is a further twist to the narrative which pushes the motherhood theme to the forefront of the novel.
As books on motherhood go, and I have read a lot over the past two years, My Name is Monster is quite an original one: the setting for starters, also it’s the first time I’ve read a novel about someone changing once one becomes a mother. It’s an interesting take and it also doubles as a good book about gender roles.
Although I did enjoy reading My Name is Monster, I did feel that the second half of the book lacked the energy and grit of the first part, which makes sense as mother has new responsibilities and thus the tone changes. Still I couldn’t help feeling a little disappointed with part 2.
As a first novel, despite the little bugs, My Name is Monster is a book which tackles quite a few issues with a new look. I will definitely look forward to Katie Hale’s next novel.
The setting of the book is a country that has been put to waste via war and a disease. The narrator, called Monster, is the sole survivor as she travels the land for food and shelter. Eventually she does find a farm complete with chickens and she settles down, venturing to town in order to loot abandoned supermarkets.
The book is divided into page long pieces, which span the Monster’s past: how she was bullied in her youth due to the fact that her interests diverged from what society prescribes for girls. Later on we see Monster living up to her nickname; being uncaring and showing little regard for people’s feeling.
From the past memories we then move on to the wars and sickness which wiped out everyone in the country.
At this point the book is a survival tale of all types. Monster has to survive bullying (the real monsters being the bullies) and in the present day she has to survive the challenges which she faces, ranging from wolf dogs (there’s a great passage about a festering bite) to bad weather.
The book changes when Monster finds a feral child in a store. She then bestows her old name to the child and calls herself mother.
The second Mother becomes a parent she changes completely. She becomes sensitive, caring and learns to love Monster. This leads to the second part of the book in which we see everything from the perspective of the new monster and she talks about her relationship with mother. There is a further twist to the narrative which pushes the motherhood theme to the forefront of the novel.
As books on motherhood go, and I have read a lot over the past two years, My Name is Monster is quite an original one: the setting for starters, also it’s the first time I’ve read a novel about someone changing once one becomes a mother. It’s an interesting take and it also doubles as a good book about gender roles.
Although I did enjoy reading My Name is Monster, I did feel that the second half of the book lacked the energy and grit of the first part, which makes sense as mother has new responsibilities and thus the tone changes. Still I couldn’t help feeling a little disappointed with part 2.
As a first novel, despite the little bugs, My Name is Monster is a book which tackles quite a few issues with a new look. I will definitely look forward to Katie Hale’s next novel.