Book Review - Monstrosity by Laura Diaz de Arce

 

        In the introduction to Laura Diaz de Arce’s Monstrosity, she acknowledges that in our society, being “too much” is often seen as being monstrous. She also dedicates the book to anyone who fits this exact description, but also concedes that instead maybe this world is simply not enough. These words mirror the standards to which women are all too often held. Monstrosity is unapologetically female. Almost all of the main characters are women, and even though almost all of them are monsters it needs to be stated that nearly none of them are monstrous.

        Monstrosity is divided into three parts: “Hominum,” “Mutatio,” and “Monstrum.” There are definite themes to each section, with “Hominum” containing mostly human monsters. I found myself relating strongly (should I admit this?) to the characters in the first two stories, “Without Him (and Him, and Him) There is No Me” and “Three Beats Per Measure.” These two stories could very well be combined into one and at least for me, it would not feel off or out of place in any way. “Without Him” is a strong nod to sexual identity – as women, we aren’t encouraged to enjoy or like sex. Look at the comment section of any social post mentioning sex workers or sites such as OnlyFans and you’ll see scores of men berating the same women to which they masturbate for daring to put themselves out there, for capitalizing rather than letting someone else do it. “Three Beats” is pure rage, which women are also not supposed to express or experience. Frankly, I absolutely delighted in the extent that I related to these two women and I retract my previous about whether to admit it. The last story in this first part is called “La Bruja Y El Vendedor or How Eduardo Found His Heart” is a straight up fairy tale that seamlessly weaves Spanish with English. Don’t be afraid of this if you don’t speak or understand Spanish, there are translation apps online for you to use. It enhances the story’s atmosphere, and if you skip this story because you don’t want to do the work then you don’t deserve this story.

        The stories in the second part, “Mutatio,” are otherworldly – literally. Every single one of these could be expanded into at least a novella. “Plum Moon” was the most intriguing for me, once again weaving a thread of rage into a science fiction setting. “Change” is a fantasy tale with a ton of subtle hints to a pretty mysterious backstory that I’d like to see more of. “A Promise” is a sadly optimistic tale of a world gone bad and what we’re leaving for future generations.

        Monstrosity’s final section, “Monstrum,” is pure sex. Lots of sex, with plenty of death and violence thrown in. This last part also has the most actual real monsters. There’s a sexy succubus bookseller in “Hardcover, Softcover,” a creature just looking out for her child and trying to keep her head above water while making a living. The beings in “Mandibles” are a quartet of sisters also just trying to feed themselves and live their lives. I’m not sure what exactly they are – when reading it, I immediately considered them Lamia, but I could be and am most likely not correct. The sex machine in “The West Hamberline Bordello Opens at Five” is an actual sex robot, although not always just used for sex.

        These twelve stories will probably read differently for different genders. I am a woman, so I’m not certain how a man will interpret any of them. I fear they may read them and immediately feel defensive, and that’s unfortunate because these are very good stories that share some very interesting perspectives. I read an e-book edition, and I caught one spelling error that looks like it may have simply been a case of a synonym being used in place of the intended word. Had there been more errors, I probably would have dropped a star. Considering that in the last story I wrote I misspelled a word I definitely know how to spell, I’m more than willing to overlook a spelling error.

        There are frightening stories here not solely because they’re scary or because bad things happen to people, but because in some of them you will be forced to look at yourself maybe a little differently. Laura Diaz de Arce is not an author whose name you’ll come across often, but I’d like to see more from her, and hers is a voice that definitely deserves to be heard.