bryn_thebookworm 's review for:

Monstrilio by Gerardo Sámano Córdova

3.5

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At the start of this story, Magos and Joseph lose their son. Magos takes a piece of their son's misshapen lung, places it in a jar, and takes it with her when she leaves her husband behind to grieve in NY so she can return to their home in Mexico City. 

In Mexico City, Magos hears a folktale about a family's loss that gives her hope. This prompts her to feed the lung until it grows into a creature that she names Monstrilio. 

This story is told in four parts from four perspectives, so we get to see how each character responds to Monstrilio. They feel protective of him but some have ideas for how he should be molded to be more human. For instance, some of them wish he would quit it with eating humans and live animals.  

𝗧𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝗲

This book normalized queerness in a way that I appreciated. And I liked that both blood relatives and chosen family played a significant role in raising Monstrilio.

I most enjoyed Monstrilio's perspective in the closing section. We spent most of the book hearing from the people who were trying to protect him, so it was a welcome shift to hear directly from the source. 

𝗧𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗜 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗴𝗴𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵

This story dragged a bit for me because I had trouble connecting with the characters. There was something about them that felt distant, which made me feel less invested in their experiences. At first, I wondered if I felt this way because the story was told in multiple parts, giving me less time with each character. But then I remembered that I've read many stories that are divided into separate perspectives that didn't pose this problem.