Happy New Year! My name is Amanda and this is where I share spoiler-free book reviews and other bookish things. Thanks for visiting. Let’s get Smitten For Fiction.

I haven’t posted anything in quite some time. I’m sorry if anyone was waiting for reviews of specific books that you’ve seen me read on Goodreads. I got busy trying to finish The Wheel of Time book series before Jan 1, 2024. I had thousands of pages to read – but I did it! I’ll be talking about those books and the series soon. This post is about Monstrilio. I still need to sit down and pick my favourite read of 2023 – but I’m pretty sure Monstrilio will end up being my #1. I would have never picked up this book based on the blurb or cover. The only reason I even read it was because it was a Literally Dead Book Club pick.

I can’t believe this book is a debut. Gerardo Sámano Córdova made me fall in love with a monster and left me in tears. 

Monstrilio is the Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Best Horror 2023 AND Best Debut 2023.

“At once heartbreaking and unapologetically strange, this is a cross-cultural, syncretic, folksy, razor-sharp narrative about the horrors of grief and the eternal debate over nature versus nurture. . . . Monstrilio packs in a lot, and the author pulls it off brilliantly. It is at once dark and tender, at times bleak, but balanced with humor that borders on slapstick . . . an outstanding debut; for all the ground being broken in genre-bending horror, his is a distinctive, exciting new voice in fiction.” ―Gabino Iglesias, Los Angeles Times

About The Book 📚

Title: Monstrilio

Author: Gerardo Sámano Córdova

Publication Date: March 7, 2023

Publisher: Zando

Genre: Adult, Literary Horror, LGBTQIA+

Pages: 336

Content Warnings: child death, grief, gore, animal death, body horror, murder, cannibalism, sexual content, injury detail, drug use, alcohol, profanity, suicidal thoughts

About The Author

“Gerardo Sámano Córdova is a writer and artist from Mexico City. He holds an MFA in fiction from the University of Michigan. He has studied at Bread Loaf as a work/study scholar and at Tin House. His work has appeared in The Common, Ninth Letter, Passages North, and Chicago Quarterly Review. He’s also been known to draw little creatures.” https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/22926208.Gerardo_S_mano_C_rdova

My Review

› Let’s talk about the cover for Monstrilio. The rainbow-coloured shapes hint at the queerness of this book and the idea that we are all different shapes and colours. The little monster on the cover? Ya, that’s Monstrilio. You’ll get to meet him and his family.

› I listened to the audiobook, and unfortunately, I didn’t write down any quotes or thoughts…It’s been three months since I read it, yet I can remember most of the characters and what happened – and that’s a big sign to me that it had an impact on me. I usually don’t retain much from audiobooks, add that to the fact that it’s been three months since I’ve read it and that’s a recipe for a disaster. I can’t stop thinking about this book. I’ll definitely be buying a copy and re-reading it sometime this year.

› The first part of Monstrilio is told from the perspective of a grieving mother, Magos. After her eleven-year-old son Santiago dies, she cuts off a piece of his lung and moves back to Mexico City leaving her husband Joseph in NYC. Folktales inspire her to feed the lung and care for it. And then, it turns into little Monstrilio that she attempts to hide from her family. The second part is told by Magos’s best friend Lena. Magos moves in with Lena leaving Monstrilio in Mexico City with his father Joseph. The third part is narrated by Joseph who had an affair with a man in NYC before moving to Mexico City to care for Monstrilio. The fourth part of the book is told by Monstrilio.

› I’ve never read a book told from four linear perspectives. It’s unique and puts the reader into each character’s mind leading you to better understand their motivations. With incredible characters, atmosphere, writing style, and plot, Monstrilio, is a must-read.

My Rating ★★★★★

› Final Thoughts
• Emotional and reflective, Monstrilio is a literary horror novel about death, grief, family, acceptance, second chances, loyalty, and unconditional love.

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I want to acknowledge that I am on the traditional territories of the Anishinabewaki ᐊᓂᔑᓈᐯᐗᑭ, Wendake-Nionwentsïo, and Mississauga. https://native-land.ca/