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A review by battykat08
Monstress: Stories by Lysley Tenorio
5.0
I am in love with these stories. Several reviewers called them strange, which surprised me in a way. They’re not bubblegum crowd-pleasers for sure, but strange is not a word I’d use. Many characters and situations are eccentric, even verging on bizarre, but the stories about them are not (hopefully that's not too fine a distinction). These are intensely personal scenarios told from a quiet place, an inner place, that feel as if you are seeing directly into someone’s heart without them having said anything. There’s an intimacy throughout that feels almost uncomfortably close. Characters habitually reveal disquieting truths about themselves through their thoughts, and even more often through their actions.
Tenorio's writing style is sparing but full of warmth, and his stories are simple and beautiful. They're written with unadorned language that positively glows. I was moved by everything he wrote, and a few stories in particular made me want to just close my eyes and exist only in that world for a while. "The View From Culion," "Brothers," and "Save the I-Hotel" moved me almost to tears, but every one of them touched me on a deep level, whether they made me feel lonely or disturbed, joyful or content. None of the lives chronicled here are all that happy, but their beauty and richness is captivating.
Several stories have little to no resolution at the end; if that is something that bothers you I recommend giving this book a hard pass. Personally, I have always liked open-ended stories, novels, and movies that aren’t neatly tied up with every conflict resolved, every Chekov’s gun fired. The tales presented here without solid endings are delicious to me. I feel like it’s a gift from the author—the gift of allowing me to imagine multiple directions each story could take.
Tenorio's writing style is sparing but full of warmth, and his stories are simple and beautiful. They're written with unadorned language that positively glows. I was moved by everything he wrote, and a few stories in particular made me want to just close my eyes and exist only in that world for a while. "The View From Culion," "Brothers," and "Save the I-Hotel" moved me almost to tears, but every one of them touched me on a deep level, whether they made me feel lonely or disturbed, joyful or content. None of the lives chronicled here are all that happy, but their beauty and richness is captivating.
Several stories have little to no resolution at the end; if that is something that bothers you I recommend giving this book a hard pass. Personally, I have always liked open-ended stories, novels, and movies that aren’t neatly tied up with every conflict resolved, every Chekov’s gun fired. The tales presented here without solid endings are delicious to me. I feel like it’s a gift from the author—the gift of allowing me to imagine multiple directions each story could take.