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104 pages, Paperback
First published October 6, 2026
in this alternative battle waged by the idea of nessie against the (CLOSED) and (SINGULAR) (WORLD) of empirical reality—against the robotic literalness, against the arrogant anthropocentric (NO SURPRISES)—imagination or (THE POSSIBLE) must find a way to break through because, without it, even the very idea of being human would lose its meaning.laura fernández’s there’s a monster in the lake (hay un monstruo en el lago) is a thoughtful, ruminative exploration on the nature of reality and fantasy, as considered through the lens of scotland’s infamous loch ness monster. the spanish writer’s first book to appear in english translation offers a singular prose style, lively examination, contextual history, and a first-person immersion in her subject. there’s a monster in the lake says perhaps far less about nessie than it does our need to keep imagining her. fernández thinks deeply and writes magnificently. her english debut is an intriguing introduction to her work and, hopefully, her novels will soon find their way into translation as well.
because the world doesn’t often consider itself a (FANTASTICAL) place, even though it has always been one. because the concept of reality is invasive and controlling, and attempts to eliminate the possibility that something that hasn’t been accounted for could exist, anything that the writing species—that is, humans—hasn’t yet encountered. it’s curious. everything just exists. things would happen in the exact way they happen, even without us creating a narrative for them. the force of gravity would exist, but it wouldn’t have that name. it simply wouldn’t be named. like the mountains of mars described by ray bradbury in the martian chronicles. human beings have invented many explanations for things just so they can sleep at night. you probably do this too.