Please note this book deals with abuse and violence, and for some this story might be upsetting.
When two people obsessively love each other, who does it hurt?
In Monster Love by Carol Topolski a man and a woman meet, fall in love, and get married.
Both are successful, good looking, winning at life. They each know they’ve found their perfect match. Then, their happy union results in a baby. And that’s when everything starts to fall apart.
Topolski steadily builds a picture of a hideous crime via personal accounts from everyone involved, except the perpetrators.
I was drawn to this book because of its (quite frankly) amazing cover art.
I have seen this book described as “chilling” and it really is. You feel such a palpable sense of dread as the story unfolds. I found this to be a very compulsive read, and I had to stop my eyes darting ahead as I read. (Does anyone else do this when they’re reading an excellent book?)
It feels like Monster Love sits outside classification as horror, crime, or thriller because the story feels so intimate, even though the monstrous couple are almost unknowable to the reader – their thoughts and motivations remain a mystery.
Monster Love is a book that lingers long in the memory, and while it’s fiction, it feels all too real.
Cherie lives, works, and reads in beautiful Tasmania – the green island gem below Australia known for its gorgeous landscape and beautiful wildlife. She holds multiple academic qualifications in English, journalism, and fine art theory, and has worked in writing, editing, and communications roles for more than a decade. Most importantly, she has a deep love for books that began as soon as she learned how to read.
Old, new, any genre – for Cherie, reading is about as vital as breathing. She is interested in sharing books that move, excite, and compel, so others can share the joy of a truly great read. While she reads across most genres, her favourite is literary fiction. Particularly anything by Margaret Atwood, Ottessa Moshfegh, Kate Atkinson, Elizabeth Berg, Ann Patchett, and Anne Tyler.
Cherie frequents Tasmania’s beautiful boutique book shops as well as scouring secondhand shops for books to add to her extensive home library. Catch up with her on LinkedIn and on Instagram.
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