IN THE GARDEN OF MONSTERS by Crystal King - Review

 

I was not familiar with the myth of Hades and Persephone or the real life story of Monster in the garden, but I found myself absorbed reading IN THE GARDEN OF MONSTERS (MIRA). I've read Crystal King's prior books and I've always learned something. King has a passion for art, food and history, as do I, so I was excited to dive into her new book.

It's post WWII, Italy where Julia, a woman well-educated in history and art, but with no memory of her past is invited to be Salvador Dali's muse, Persephone, one of the creatures in the stone garden. Dali's behavior intensifies, on the verge of obsession as shadows from the garden appear and become unwelcoming. Julia finds herself on the verge of losing her mind and wonders if she truly is the queen of the underground.

There's a lot I didn't include in my review, because you must read IN THE GARDEN OF MONSTERS yourself. It's a wonderful, but not easy read. I found myself referring to reference books and other tomes to understand the story. I believe it is worth the effort.

Crystal King is the author of IN THE GARDEN OF MONSTERS, THE CHEF'S SECRET, and FEAST OF SORROW, which was long-listed for the Center for Fiction’s First Novel Prize and was a Must Read for the MassBook Awards. She is an author, culinary enthusiast, and marketing expert.

Her writing is fueled by a love of history and a passion for the food, language, and culture of Italy. She has taught classes in writing, creativity, and social media at several universities including Harvard Extension School and Boston University, as well as at GrubStreet, one of the leading creative writing centers in the US.

A Pushcart Prize–nominated poet and former co-editor of the online literary arts journal Plum Ruby Review, Crystal received her MA in critical and creative thinking from UMass Boston, where she developed a series of exercises and writing prompts to help fiction writers in medias res. She resides in Boston.

You can find her at https://crystalking.com