In the opening pages of “Monstrilio,” a grieving mother cuts into the body of her recently deceased 11-year-old son and carves out a portion of his lung to save for herself. Acting on instinct and maternal desperation, she nurtures the piece of lung and even feeds it, hiding it within the walls of her decaying childhood home. Over time, it grows into the carnivorous and increasingly human title character.
It’s weird. Very weird. But this literary horror novel by Mexican author Gerardo Samano Cordova turns out to be a riveting and thought-provoking meditation on love and grief. Think “Frankenstein” meets “Pet Sematery,” with a bit of “Little Shop of Horrors” thrown in as well. “If you feed it,” goes the message, “it may grow.”
Cordova structures his story into four acts told by the four primary characters: mother Magos, father Joseph, friend Lena, and Monstrilio himself, or “M.” From the shocking opening sequence, it advances at breakneck speed. And although it’s gory and grisly at times, the novel’s predominant tone is one of melancholy and isolation. Magos views Monstrilio as her second chance at motherhood, while Joseph struggles with an inability to grieve in what he thinks must be the proper way.
The book also tackles issues of queerness and identity, as characters deal with their own personal versions of loss. Lots of trigger warnings here, including body horror and sexual assault.
If you enjoy bizarro fiction like “Shark Heart” or “Nightbitch,” or the recent Oscar-nominated, fantastical film “Poor Things,” add “Monstrilio” to your book list. I’ve never read anything like it.
