From the bestselling author of Drunk Mom and Possessed comes Monster, a mesmerizing, brave new work of autofiction. Monster is a shattering, feminist manifesto exploring sexual awakening, motherhood, immigrant trauma, and the power of female rage.
Yoveeta is angry. But her rage is quiet, internal, festering inside and forming a mysterious creation that she refers to as “Monster”, something that began as longing when she lost her first home, country, and language, and that kept on growing as she experienced sexual and romantic trauma. Her quest for home led her into a toxic relationship with Voytek, an older, former professor and accomplished Polish writer who fathered her daughter, Ruby, and who gave her a house that finally made her feel as if she landed somewhere safe. But their marriage was anything but safe, with Voytek’s penchant for infidelity and unrelenting gaslighting.
On the eve of launching her memoir about overcoming her eating disorder, Yoveeta meets a fascinating man her age, activating the dormant Monster who is viciously hungry for food, sex, and revenge, but most of all, Yoveeta’s own awakening.
As her relationship with her husband crumbles into separation, Yoveeta develops a new, motivating force to fight for her home and future. The invigorating new love gives her the courage to leave her toxic situation and come up with an ultimate and drastic solution, carried out with the help of her new accomplice.
Jowita Bydlowska is the author of Possessed, the best-selling memoir Drunk Mom, and the best-selling novel GUY. She’s also a prolific short-story writer, journalist, and a professor at the Creative School at Toronto Metropolitan University. She was born in Warsaw, Poland, and came to Canada as a teenager. She lives in Toronto with her son and their chihuahua.
