Monstrilio

De: Gerardo Sámano Córdova

Narrado por: Victoria Villarreal, Johnny Rey Diaz

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 Cordova 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.

©2023 Gerardo Sámano Córdova (P)2023 HighBridge, a division of Recorded Books

Great Character Development!

This book is so unique and interesting. The story, all together, is so out there and unexpected. And at the same time it feels like weirdly natural development, like we should have expected that all along.

Very slow

The premise of the story seemed really fun but I felt like I waited the whole book for something to happen - and it felt like nothing ever actually happened because the story moves so slowly

Not exactly what I expected….

I’m fine with a book that turns out a little or even a lot differently than I thought it would, but this book does not belong in the horror genre. Is there a genre for homosexual/inter-species/cannibalism/kink? Because that’s where this book belongs.

I could have lived with the fact that every important character in this book is gay if it wasn’t for the fact that the one straight character is basically a sociopath. I also could have felt with the strange/kinky sex scenes if the characters had been more well developed.

However my biggest issue with this story is that it’s told from 4 characters perspectives but they all basically have the same “voice” they think too similarly and their “prose” is the same. When you combine this with the fact that the narrator is just a tad on the monotone type…it makes for a pretty dull listen… which is saying a lot given the fact that the story itself it fairly bizarre.

I loved the premise for this book, but I think Monstrilio could have been fleshed out more, with more lore about his origins and the origins of “his kind”.

Very unique !

I'd give it 5 stars since it kept me engrossed all the way through. Yet it's not for everyone. if you like some weirdness, a touch of horror yet want some humanness, you might love it too.

Gorgeously visceral

I loved this book. It was gross and captivating in a way I didn’t imagine. The queer story lines were beautiful.

Heartbreaking but also odd

I truly enjoyed this book, as someone who has come face to face with grief this book really struck a chord in me. The struggles of grieving someone who is gone, the coming to terms with not just your own humanity but the tormented & grimy sides of us all. It was well written and I found myself wanting to listen more and more even at the very end. I truly felt myself immersed in this book. Love it.

Do yourself a favor: listen to this great book!

This book is a fabulous example of latin-magical-realism! The story is just weird enough to delight & engage, while it examines what it means to be "human." The reader really brought the characters to life, too. This author is now on my "favorites" list!

More Weird than Scary

I'm having a hard time evaluating this book because it was simply not what I was expecting. I expected a horror novel, and this just didn't feel like horror to me. It was unsettling, sure, but not really scary at all. I am a big fan of themes of grief in horror, and for the first few chapters I was totally sucked in. But then when the POV switched to a new character, the story went in a wildly different direction and lost me. Overall there are four different POV sections, and the last three seemed more focused on the characters' sexual idiosyncrasies than anything else. I guess that I just don't find the sexuality or kinks of characters to be horrific? Honestly the story got rather dull, and the monotone style of the readers didn't help that. I sense that there was some sort of deeper allegory at play here (what does it mean to be monstrous, or something like that), but I just wasn't invested enough in the story to think that hard about it. I sense that if I wasn't going into this expecting to be scared, I would have enjoyed the novel more, but it just wasn't what I was looking for when I chose a horror book.

Wonderful!

Super excited to have come across another great Latino author. Thank you for bringing Monstrilio into our world!

One of the best books I’ve read in years

Deeply gripping and affective. Perfectly threads the needle between genuine horror and a beautiful family drama. Found myself really invested in M’s struggles and never wanting this story to end. Can’t wait to read more from this author. If this was debut then he can only get better and better from here.