BITE-SIZED REVIEW: Monstrilio by Gerardo Sámano Córdova

“My mother thought I was a monster and didn’t love me because of it. This thing, an actual fucking monster, was loved.”

Zando: March 2023

327 pages

Opening any story with the death of a child ought to set a somber tone that steeps the plot in sadness and colors every following interaction. So, it’s highly unusual to have such a story that actually inspires hope. Debut novelist Gerardo Sámano Córdova (Go Blue!) spins a quirky tale that jumps from New York City to Mexico Cit…