What do you think?
Rate this book
The Monster
"Perfect deadpan marks the opening of Ali Simpson’s 'The Monster,'" writes Susan Merrell of The Southampton Review in her introduction to this issue of Recommended Reading. "[It's] an elegant take on the best kind of horror story—one that Shirley Jackson or Neil Gaiman might tackle, one that makes you laugh even as it scares you, that turns the imagined monsters we fear in the dark into the very real monsters that inhabit our own internal darkness."
"'The Monster' plays with the conventions of the horror story, and is as much an allegory about a nervous breakdown as it is a metaphorical description of the transition to adulthood, and of the writing process itself."
About the Author:
Ali Simpson received her MFA in creative writing and literature from SUNY Stony Brook Southampton. In addition to The Southampton Review, her work has been published or is forthcoming in The First Line and Carrier Pigeon. She is currently working on a collection of speculative fiction, When Meat is Given a Second Chance. She works as a publishing assistant and lives in the forest.
About the Guest Editor:
Dedicated to publishing fine fiction, non-fiction, plays, screenplays, poetry, literary cartoons, photography and art, The Southampton Review opens its pages to writers from across the globe whose work is compelling. Our pages are equally devoted to emerging and established writers and artists.
About Recommended Reading:
Great authors inspire us. But what about the stories that inspire them? Recommended Reading, the latest project from Electric Literature, publishes one story every week, each chosen by a great author or editor. In this age of distraction, we uncover writing that's worth slowing down and spending some time with. And in doing so, we help give great writers, literary magazines, and independent presses the recognition (and readership) they deserve.
"'The Monster' plays with the conventions of the horror story, and is as much an allegory about a nervous breakdown as it is a metaphorical description of the transition to adulthood, and of the writing process itself."
About the Author:
Ali Simpson received her MFA in creative writing and literature from SUNY Stony Brook Southampton. In addition to The Southampton Review, her work has been published or is forthcoming in The First Line and Carrier Pigeon. She is currently working on a collection of speculative fiction, When Meat is Given a Second Chance. She works as a publishing assistant and lives in the forest.
About the Guest Editor:
Dedicated to publishing fine fiction, non-fiction, plays, screenplays, poetry, literary cartoons, photography and art, The Southampton Review opens its pages to writers from across the globe whose work is compelling. Our pages are equally devoted to emerging and established writers and artists.
About Recommended Reading:
Great authors inspire us. But what about the stories that inspire them? Recommended Reading, the latest project from Electric Literature, publishes one story every week, each chosen by a great author or editor. In this age of distraction, we uncover writing that's worth slowing down and spending some time with. And in doing so, we help give great writers, literary magazines, and independent presses the recognition (and readership) they deserve.
15 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 5, 2013
2 people are currently reading
17 people want to read
About the author
Ali Simpson
5 books2 followersLibrarian note:
There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
This profile may contain books from multiple authors of this name.
There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
This profile may contain books from multiple authors of this name.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
April 11, 2022
I feel dumb because I didn't get it.
October 24, 2020
this was an odd one but it was good for a short.
November 7, 2020
This was kinda scary and kinda weird. It worked, although I'm not sure what it was really about. Gotta think on it, which is a good thing. Well written.
April 26, 2021
2.5 A metaphor for when one lets someone/something take over their life, with a possible ray of hope. It felt a little heavy handed to me. Interesting, but hard to relate to.
May 13, 2021
I quite liked that little story. Reminded me a little of The Yellow Wallpaper.
September 29, 2021
"This is in no way relatable", she says while making sure her closet is empty... 😵💫😭
October 5, 2021
The metaphor here is pretty obvious, well written, enjoyable, and all too short.
March 29, 2021
After listening to this a third time, I realized that it's a good, carefully constructed story. To me, it illustrated a person struggling with addiction (although it's a story about a person slipping into madness or struggling with their developing sense of self).
It's a nice, small bite of fiction; not an earthquaking read, but sometimes that's all you need. I would entertain the idea of reading more of Ali Simpson's work in the future.
It's a nice, small bite of fiction; not an earthquaking read, but sometimes that's all you need. I would entertain the idea of reading more of Ali Simpson's work in the future.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 22, 2021
The cover and the interior of the book differed in the spelling of Ali's last name. Despite this, I found the book quite enjoyable, and went with the cover's spelling rather than the interior spelling of her name which was Simpson.
March 29, 2025
the most devastating thing about this is the fact that the dogs’ name was bumblebee
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews