Grief, A Fanged Monster: Monstrilio by Gerardo Sámano Córdova

When Santiago, an eleven-year-old with a single underdeveloped lung, passes away, his parents Magos and Joseph grieve in their own ways. Magos is driven by a fierce need to keep a piece of her son with her, and rather than settle for a traditional lock of hair, she opens him up and takes a piece of the lung that betrayed them all. An old folktale told by her mother’s “housekeeper” drives her to feed the piece of meat and to the surprise of all, it begins to grow. 

Welcome to the debut horror novel Monstrilio by Gerardo Sámano Córdova.

He’s so cute, with a face only a mother could love.

This novel is split between four main characters - Magos, Joseph, Lena (Magos’s best friend who is madly in love with her), and M. The story is surreal, deeply rich, with a deep exploration of the inner lives of the four main characters. Magos insists that Monstrilio IS Santiago and this remains a central conflict throughout. Magos was perhaps my least favorite character, because she seemed so very bratty and selfish during her portion. While she is very much a grieving mother, she centers the narrative around herself. To her, Joseph’s grief is too much, her mother’s grief (Santiago’s grandmother) takes away from her own, and she doesn’t seem to care that this tiny monster endangers others due to its taste for blood. She takes from those around her, from the physical (like crashing on Lena’s couch after Monstrilio disappears) to their very identity (as she does with M, which is Monstrilio’s chosen name once he can choose).

While the story is mostly about the grief of losing a child and how dark and deep it can get it, it is also about finding yourself outside of what others demand of you. Joseph ends up engaged to another man after leaving Magos. She finds her art, creating one woman shows that allow her to travel across the world. Lena finds herself a place far away from where she felt trapped (allowing her to find some healing of her own). M tries very hard to find his place with his family, but he does so at the expense of the very things that make him unique.

The final two things I want to mention about this book is that it gives an unabashed description of female lust and arousal without resorting to the kind of writing with which some male-presenting authors are notorious. It also shows a variety of queer relationships (even though it doesn’t specify, I wonder if Joseph is bisexual, or if he was merely attempting to be “normal” which would be an interesting parallel to M). The queerness in this book isn’t the source of the problems, but it adds another layer to issues that are being presented (like the dangers of dating apps).

Altogether, this book was decadent with its horror, leading the reader to a different understanding of grief. If you choose to read this novel, please keep in mind that there are trigger warnings for child and pet death.

Remember - when the last bite is eaten, and the final page turned, I shall be here with a new suggestion, should you need it.