Tag Archive for: magical realism

Monstrilio by Gerardo Sámano Córdova

/in /by

Monstrilio by Gerardo Sámano Córdova is a book that has stuck with me. If you are a reader you likely know what I refer to – a book that lingers after you’re finished reading, one that leaves a mark. Monstrilio is that for me. In a past book review I mentioned that I have been exploring horror fiction, a genre that until recently, I didn’t really pick up. I’ve read a handful so far this year, Monstrilio being the most recent, and I am becoming more and more content with my new reading exploration. A debut novel, Monstrilio is a horror novel with literary leanings released in 2023 by Mexico City author Córdova. I think there are a lot of ways to describe this unique novel, it runs the gamut of emotions, but in essence this novel explores extreme sorrow and immense love through the story of a boy that becomes a monster that becomes a man.

The novel is told in four parts by four different main characters. It opens with Magos on the most devastating day for a parent: she and her husband, Joseph, lose their 11 year old son, Santiago, who dies from complications of living with one lung. In her grief, Magos opens the body of her son and removes a chunk of his lung. “One believes the stupidest things in grief,” Córdova writes, and this is one of those things. Magos believes if she cares for and feeds the piece of Santiago’s lung he will come back to her.

Much to her family’s surprise (and horror), it works…in a way. From the piece of lung grows a black furred, ferociously hungry being, or monster, if you’d like. However, he is not Santiago, although he carries some likeness in addition to the lung. Magos calls him Santiago, while Joseph and Lena (a good friend to Magos and Joseph) call him Monstrilio. 

What follows are short segments moving forward in time as Monstrilio matures, learning to adapt to his circumstance and live like a human. Following Magos’ narration is Lena’s, the friend and doctor in love with Magos who often helps care for Monstrilio’s not-so-human health. Then, Joseph takes over narration. Monstrilio is now a young adult living with Magos and going by his new name, M. Joseph and Magos have very different views on who M is, and have been separated since the death of Santiago. Yet something they have in common is their fierce love for M. 

Finally, the last part of the novel is told by M. The sections leading up to M’s are a slow burn, and M’s narration was my favorite part of the book. M is trying to figure out where he belongs in the shadow of someone else, but M has the added obstacle of not being completely human. He is battling his ever-present hunger for humans, the expectations of his loved ones, his desire to understand humans, and generally fitting in a world not created for him. M is the result of a monstrous decision made by someone else, in the throes of monstrous grief, and he does not know if he is M, Santiago, Monstrilio, a combination, or someone else entirely. 

Monstrilio is a stunning novel that wraps its characters in grief, love, and the persistence of both. It examines the lasting effects of grief and how, if we let it, our own grief can affect those we hold most dear and even turn us monstrous. The novel also explores the binding results of loyalty and acceptance of those we love. Monstrilio features dark themes and is the most gory horror novel I’ve personally read (I haven’t read many). That might be an immediate “no” for some readers, and an immediate “yes” for others; either way, the part horror, part literary meditation on emotions that makes up this novel was unexpected, unsettling, and simply wonderful. Córdova comes out swinging with this debut and I am looking forward to what he releases next. While Monstrilio did make me sad, it is a book that I won’t soon forget. 

Find in Catalog

Review written by Sarah Turner-Hill, Adult Programming Coordinator

Weyward by Emilia Hart

/in /by

Weyward is author Emilia Hart’s debut novel. A historical fiction mixed with magical realism and gothic tones, the novel became a New York Times Bestseller and won two Goodreads Choice Awards: Best Historical Fiction and Best Debut Novel for 2023. Weyward is a split narrative following the lives of three women across five centuries. After I finished reading I knew I wanted to write a book review about it as I found it to be a genuinely good, well-crafted story.

1619: Altha Weyward recently lost her mother to illness, her only family and companion. Her mother taught Altha the ways of medicine and healing, but with caution. The healing Altha came to know from her mother is that of natural remedies, herbs, mixtures procured from nature – far from the practice of placing leeches on the sick as a form of treatment, as doctors commonly did. When Altha’s mother becomes sick she makes Altha promise to keep these ways of healing, and other secrets, safe and not to draw attention to herself. Altha and her mother know their village is not a safe place for them as unmarried women that practice healing, especially with the way animals seem to respond to Altha, and the pet crow her mother keeps. Yet, Altha cannot help putting down all their secrets and her deeds in a book she locks away in her cottage. Soon after the loss of her mother Altha finds herself on trial accused of witchcraft following the death of a man in her village.

1942: Violet Ayres has always had a fascination with plants and animals, the mechanics of the natural world. Living with her father and brother on an estate in complete isolation, Violet’s closest friends are the spider that lives under her bed, her nanny, and the insects she befriends while about their estate. Violet’s mother died when she was very young and her father is an unloving guardian, more interested in keeping Violet away from society so she doesn’t “become like her mother.” When Violet meets her cousin for the first time she is fascinated by someone new, and by the way he looks at her. All her observations of insects do not help her understand her cousin or the ways of the world. When Violet suddenly finds her safe world harshly torn apart she is forced to live alone in Weyward Cottage, once owned by her mother. Violet begins to discover why she might have such an inclination for animals and the natural world, and the history of her maternal side, helped along by a crow and a book she discovers, authored by a woman named Altha.

2019: Kate Ayres takes her burner phone, the funds she has been secretly stashing away, and a suitcase and flees her husband. Her destination: the cottage her great aunt Violet Ayres left for her when she passed away, a woman she met in childhood but barely knew. But anything is better than the repetitive abuse she receives from her husband. Over the years Kate has found herself shrinking who she is, lessening her hobbies and passions, cutting out her mother and friends, all to avoid her husband’s anger. Her father died saving Kate’s life when she was a child, and since then her love for animals and nature has been silenced. Kate is alone, scared, and does not know what to do next. Yet when she arrives at Weyward Cottage she begins to find herself in Violet’s belongings, in the garden, insects, and crows, and in a book left under lock and key by a woman named Altha.

The chapters of Weyward tell Altha, Violet, and Kate’s stories bit by bit, revealing how the three women and their stories connect, even separated by centuries. All three find themselves alone and isolated following life-changing experiences. Yet, they are not truly alone, for in themselves and by way of their connection to one another they find healing and purpose. Weyward is about the resilience and strength of women, the connection that comes from sisterhood, and trusting in oneself. Witchcraft and magic are implied elements, more of supporting characters to the women’s stories rather than front and center. I found Weyward to be a magical novel, despite being able to guess what was about to happen throughout the story; Emilia Hart managed to make what could be a predictable storyline seem new. Hart’s prose runs smoothly, her character development enough to have developed characters while also leaving room for imagination, and the audio version was read by three different narrators for Altha, Violet, and Kate (which I’m a big fan of). Weyward is perfect for readers looking for some magic and female empowerment in their lives.

Note: If you are considering reading Weyward I suggest reviewing the content warnings before picking up the novel.

Find in print in our Catalog.

Find digitally on Libby and hoopla.

Review by Sarah Turner-Hill, Adult Programming Coordinator.