A sweet story of survival
Monster believes she is alone at the end of the world, but when scavenging a city she finds a small girl, her purpose in life shifts dramatically.
My Name is Monster is a refreshing take on the apocalyptic dystopian fiction genre. Rather than focusing on how the end came about or the immediate aftermath, it focuses on one person's journey at the end of the world, when most of humanity has already ceased to exist. It's less of an overarching plot but a sweet story of survival and hope. I liked how we got Mother's backstory first before switching perspective to Monster to appreciate their differences in views. It also meant we had a unique perspective on both of their character developments as the story progressed.
There were times where I did want more backstory though - perhaps a little more on what had caused the end of the world; The War, The Sickness and The Last Fall as they are referred to. I presume the reason we aren't privy to these are that Mother is not interested in it and that is why she has survived. I did find it a little odd that the pair explore a very large city repeatedly and yet there were hardly any bodies anywhere - I felt this perhaps didn't feel very realistic. I also wanted to know a little more about Monster's backstory, particularly as it so pivotal to one event (no spoilers!) later on in the book. There is an inherent feel of foreboding and menace running underneath the plot that made me feel that some big revelation might be forthcoming, but this is perhaps from reading too many zombie books! The plot did hold my interest throughout though - although it is perhaps a little repetitive in the middle.
Overall My Name is Monster is a refreshing take on an over saturated genre, it just could do with a little bit more backstory in places. Thank you to NetGalley & Canongate for a copy of the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
