Play Book Tag discussion

“A literary horror debut about a boy who transforms into a monster, a monster who tries to be a man, and the people who love him in every form he takes.”

When her eleven year old son Santiago dies, a distraught mother horrifies her husband by cutting into the body and taking out his heart. Based on an old legend she heard from a cousin, she thought she might bring him back or at least treasure the lung. She then returns home to Mexico, leaving her husband and the butchered body behind in upstate New York. (Leaving me to wonder what he did with the body, and what he would say if the state trooper rolled in to ask some questions.)

Home in her mother’s house in Mexico she hides the lung from everyone in the house. She feeds it Chicken broth and it begins to grow more every day. Eventually he takes shape with a sort of an arm/tail, and he wants more food. There were scenes that could have been inspired by Little Shop of Horrors. (Feed me Seymour,) After he goes too far, the family members get together to make a plan for little Monstrilio.

🎶 little shop, little shop of horrors 🎶 - - -
I’m not a horror fan but I found ways to distract myself from the worst parts. It backfired a little because the song (and the book) was still in my head 3 days later. It helps that the book is so beautifully written, I couldn’t stop if I wanted to.

Fast forward 6-7 years.
The parents are divorced. Mom is a performance artist, and invites her family to see her show in Berlin. Dad is happily engaged to a man who knows nothing about the boy, and they attend the show. When they are surprised by a meeting, the dad introduces his son as Santiago. Monstrilio has changed in appearance and behavior, into a nice looking but slightly awkward 18 year old, with a job and a boyfriend. Life looks very hopeful. (If only he wasn’t always so hungry.)

The show is followed by some heartbreaking and dramatic scenes. A few scenes in particular will be very hard to forgot. The author was able to add sensitivity and creativity to scenes that could have been simply horrific. I loved the special touches , such as scenes with his elderly uncle. Each character had something special to contribute to the story. There is a lot of love in the story but it was never sappy or crass. I know it’s not for everyone, but if I could handle it, you might tio.

(view spoiler)[
I’m still not sure how I feel about the ending. I was less happy when I realized that they were in upstate New York! Which is where I live. It gave me chills. What if this was based on a true story??😱 (hide spoiler)]