A review by fe_lea
Monstrilio by Gerardo Sámano Córdova

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

4.25

 “One believes the stupidest things in grief.” 

There was once a story about a woman who wanted to have a daughter but she didn’t have a husband or a lover. When a girl from their village died, the woman snuck out and cut the girl’s heart. She fed the heart believing it would grow into a daughter but it turned into a man, a young man her age who loved her. 

Hearing this story, the mother remembered the piece of lung that she cut out from her dead son and she also fed it. Until it grew and it became more hungry. 

Monstrilio is a literary horror debut that follows the life of a family (both blood and non-blood) after the loss of their child. Told from four different POVs, the book explores the themes of grief, family, identity, and acceptance as they live their life revolving around Santiago, their dead son, and Monstrilio, the monster that was formed out of Santiago and who they’re now trying to transform into a human being. 

“Did that thing just called me Papi?” 

Overall, this was an enjoyable read for me. It’s when I look at the individual POVs that make this book short of perfect. Starting the book with the mother, Magos, was the logical decision since it all started from her and her head was interesting. And then it switched to Lena, the friend, whose POV was also interesting and where one of the key moments in the book happened. I liked how her POV ended but after that it switched to Joseph, the father, and there was a time jump that took me out of the story. His was unfortunately my least favorite POV. The book ended with M. I wanted more from his POV but his was the most emotional and also my favorite. Another issue that I had was wanting the characters to be cooked just a little bit more. While the exploration on grief was interesting, I think the author could have squeezed more. I wanted a deeper look into the characters’ minds and hearts and enter the very core of their being. I liked the depth that we got but going deeper would have destroyed me which would even be better. I say this because it felt like I was losing some of the characters when we shifted POVs. I felt this in particular with Magos. Her voice in the beginning was great but I began to understand her less as the story progresses. 

Despite the above, Monstrilio was still a great book. It was unexpectedly heartfelt, tender, and kind. It was also introspective. M’s part was the highlight for me as there was a lot to unpack in his chapters. His chapters felt the most human despite him not being one. It’s where all the themes explored in the previous parts all came together and painted a full picture. 

“I wade through the shadows of our living room, hoping to find monsters. Chat with them. Laugh. But there are no monsters in these shadows. Only me.” 

As a literary horror, I was expecting a little bit of spooky and a more dark atmosphere but I did not feel those at all. I even called this book cute and fun because of Monstrilio (he’s adorable and a cutie). There was nothing scary about this book. I only found love, pain, loss, and tenderness in it. It’s a story about grief in its different shapes and forms. It’s a story about family and the people who will always be there for you even if you hurt or get hurt by them. It’s a story about identity and learning to accept everything about yourself. It’s a story about being human as Monstrilio learns how to be one. And ultimately, it’s a story about love as it was love that connected all the threads in this book.