A review by jayistired
Last Night I Sang to the Monster by Benjamin Alire Sáenz

5.0

Halfway through the book you’ll find a quote that says : « I’ve learned over the years that if I just begin writing, then I somehow manage to find the right words. I think you already know that I’m a true believer in words. I believe in their power, in their ability to hurt and their ability to heal. »
It pretty much sums it up, not the whole book, but most of it. It also speaks for me, I begun writing this and now, I believe I’ll finish it.

The book speaks about a boy named Zach, who is right now in rehab and doesn’t remember what has happened to him before going there, or maybe he doesn’t want to remember, no one knows.
People in this place, are put into groups: a group of addicts, a group of depressed people, a group schizophrenic people, etc..
it’s more than a simple story, you’ll figure stuff out with zach, you’ll love Rafael, you’ll refuse to say goodbye.
Why are we forced to say goodbye anyways? Goodbyes can be really hard, they can become our monsters.
And now that I mentioned the word monster, what do you think your monster is? Is it a family member? Is it an accident? Is it fear? Is it your mind? What is it?
You’ll find lists there, lists you can use and do the work, as Zach does. You’ll think about a greater force, you’ll think about the power of words, the power of your mind. You’ll learn about breathing, about remembering, about trauma, about addiction, about love, about hate, about isolation and a lot more stuff that can help.
That can really help!

The book is pretty much different from the other books I’ve read of Benjamin Alire Saenz, but still I recommend it. If you want me to rate it, I’ll give it a solid 10 out of 10. Again.