The King of Aloe Vera

By: Tomas Moniz

An elderly man has just a month to leave his home. A young woman from his neighborhood is soon to be unhoused. Slowly but surely, the two form an unlikely yet transformational friendship in this warm and funny novel about love and community.

Rey, a widower of 10 years, has lived on the same block in San Francisco’s Mission District for most of his life. He has watched his city transform as he becomes ever more set in his ways. Now he spends most of his time volunteering at the library, where he is determined to educate everyone who comes through the library doors and where his co-workers tolerate him though secretly hoping he'll retire. It's at the library where he meets Q, on probation, post breakup with her girlfriend and dealing with a troubled family, who keeps littering cigarette butts on the steps. As Rey tries to decide what to do with the rest of his days, literally counting them off and cutting his remaining ties, Q begins to insert herself into his world in a way that he can't deny.

With a story about Latinx identity, intergenerational friendship, and chosen family, set over the course of a month, Tomas Moniz takes us on a journey through senior dance classes, illegal bike trips over the Bay Bridge, and fair housing rallies. And as the days tick down, Rey and Q find themselves leaning on each other for answers on how to find community and purpose, make amends, and process grief. Equally funny and tender, The King of Aloe Vera delights in how we choose to live, and live out, our lives.