And my mother's bitter tears

"The Monster" is an autobiographical novel that blends fact and fiction, depicting the author's experiences in the US Army during the Korean War. The book explores themes of war, fear, and the nature of fear, and is notable for its humor, particularly in its depiction of the contrasting personalities of the narrator and his friend.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 387 pages
Publication date: 20 April 2023
Publisher: Colenso Books

This novel undoubtedly possesses a significant autobiographical element, while certain aspects may be fictional. However, it is challenging to precisely delineate the boundary between autobiography and fiction. The author did indeed serve in the US Army during the Korean War, although his age may have been slightly different from the narrator's assertion. The author's chosen pen name, "Toteras," is derived from two Greek words, "to" and "teras," which translate to "the monster." The novel opens with the narrator's return from Korea, where he is grappling with post-traumatic distress syndrome and finds himself unable to reunite with his family. During this period, he becomes associated with a young woman who takes care of him. The narrative takes a hiatus at this point and resumes only in the final chapter of the book. Subsequently, several chapters are devoted to recounting the narrator's early life in San Francisco's Greektown. The conflicting pressures of their families' desire for them to embrace Greek culture and their school's emphasis on assimilating into American society drive the narrator and his best friend to obtain fake birth certificates. This allows them to enlist in the US army at the age of fourteen. Between basic training and their deployment to the Far East, they embark on a peculiar journey to Mexico, where they become entangled with a wealthy American couple seeking to explore their sexual desires. The two teenage soldiers are subsequently assigned to the Mariana Islands, where they are engaged in the task of dismantling a World-War-Two ammunition dump. Tragically, an explosion occurs, resulting in the loss of some of their colleagues. Following this incident, they are granted leave and travel to Japan to meet up with a sergeant they had befriended during their training camp. Through a series of mishaps, they find themselves inadvertently dispatched to Korea as part of the initial scratch-force of US troops, following the news of the Korean War outbreak.

In conclusion, this novel blends elements of autobiography and fiction, creating a complex and multifaceted narrative that reflects the author's experiences and perspectives. While the boundary between truth and imagination remains somewhat blurred, the author's personal journey and the fictionalized elements of the story contribute to a rich and compelling narrative.

Weight: 508g
Dimension: 210 x 148 x 22 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781912788200