Monster vs. Boy

Eleven-year-old Daws and his eight-year-old sister Jayla live in the northern town of Morsh where tourists flock hoping to see a monster. The siblings are being raised by their uncle, Pop, who adopted them after their mentally ill mother deserted them. Daws is drawn to cooking (Pop’s profession), but he also worries about the monster that lives in his closet—a furry, scaly, horned creature that only he can see. Then one night, the monster, Mim, breaks out of the closet and jumps from the bedroom window. While on the loose, Mim injures several people (including Daws), forcing him to challenge who the monster is and what she wants from him.

Krossing’s monster remains mysterious throughout much of Monster vs. Boy, leaving readers with many unanswered questions: Why does she hate Daws? Is she related to the monster that tormented Daws’ mom? And why does she want to read? The story moves at a deliberate pace, and readers are often kept at a distance from the main characters because they refer to each other as “the horrible boy” and “the monster”, rather than using their given names. A final confrontation provides some (but not all) answers to the story’s uncertainties and leads to a détente of sorts. Narrated by both Mim and Daws, this will intrigue those who suspect they might have a monster hiding in their own closets.