Tartlets, prepare yourself for ALL the things with In the Garden of Monsters by Crystal King. I could not put down this novel that blends historical fiction, fantasy, Greek and Roman mythology, Gothic horror, and so much more into an amazing read.
What’s In the Garden of Monsters about?
In the Garden of Monsters follows Julia, a 1940s art model who takes a job posing as the goddess Persephone for famed artist Salvador Dali. Julia, Dali, and several others decamp to a palazzo in the Italian countryside near the famous Sacro Bosco gardens, and Julia starts experiencing déjà vu immediately upon her arrival. She’s also inexplicably and wildly attracted to the palazzo’s host, Ignazio. What follows is a heady mixture of intrigue, romance, lust, art, and over-indulgence of all kinds.
This novel is a fresh twist on the classic Greco-Roman myth of Persephone and Hades. Or, if you prefer, of Proserpina and Pluto. I love me a good retelling, and King pulls out all the stops with In the Garden of Monsters.
Persephone or Proserpina? Hades or Pluto?
The Greek and Roman names for certain characters are used interchangeably throughout In the Garden of Monsters. Here’s a quick reference guide:
- Persephone/Proserpina = queen of the Underworld
- Hades/Pluto = god of the Underworld
- Ceres/Demeter = Persephone’s mom, goddess of the harvest
I’ll refer to the characters using their Greek names throughout this book review.
Who are Hades and Persephone?
Here’s a summary of the traditional tale of Hades and Persephone:
- Persephone was kidnapped by Hades one day while hanging out with her mom, Ceres. Hades took Persephone down into the Underworld to be his queen.
- Ceres missed her daughter Persephone so much that all the harvests on earth suffered, and Persephone begged to be released from the Underworld so she could be with Ceres.
- Hades agreed to let Persephone rejoin her mother, but he made his queen eat six pomegranate seeds before she left the Underworld.
- Pomegranate seeds are the sacred fruit of the Underworld. Eating them required Persephone to return to Hades every six months. This is how seasons came about: Spring and Summer are when Ceres and Persephone are together and Ceres allows all things to grow. Fall and winter are when Persephone must rejoin Hades in the Underworld, and Ceres causes everything to die because she’s in mourning for her daughter.
What I loved about In the Garden of Monsters
In the Garden of Monsters unfolds like a lush, surreal dream. The ornate setting transports you with its lavish palazzo, mystical Sacro Bosco gardens, and larger-than-life statues that seem to writhe and shift out of the corner of your eye. There are ghostly voices calling out to Julia, servants who walk and talk like they’re possessed, and mysterious lights appearing in the gardens at night.
Then you’ve got Salvador Dali, who’s painted (pardon the pun) as an enigmatic, charismatic, and hedonistic genius madman.
I immediately fell into Julia’s experience and didn’t want to be pulled back out. King’s writing brings everything to life, particularly Dali and his outrageous whims. He’s a major force that drives the novel, and I loved the cray-cray he brought to the story.
Julia’s character was great and completely relatable. She’s just trying to make a buck and get out, but you get caught up in all her confusion, attraction, and fear as Dali and his oversexed entourage of friends push everything over the top.
And, the smoldering tensions between Julia and Ignazio as they play out their destinies as reincarnations of Persephone and Hades? Hubba hubba.
Some fun twists in In the Garden of Monsters (spoiler free!)
Traditional mythology depicts the story of Hades and Persephone as a kidnapping-turned-Stockholm-Syndrome kind of affair. Which is pretty cringey in this day and age. I mean, we’re all assuming there’s non-consensual stuff happening between Hades and Persephone. The co-dependent mother-daughter dynamic between Ceres and Persephone that doesn’t sit quite right with me, either.
King makes this tale much more palatable by positioning Hades and Persephone as a true love match. Which makes you able to enjoy the lusty buzz between Julia and Ignazio without any weird guilt. Plus, there’s a twist on Ceres’ role in Hades and Persephone’s story that I really liked.
Finally, there’s a scene toward the end that I did not see coming. I screamed when it happened. Out loud. And then wailed. Because I was devastated. **weeps**
Calling all foodie fiction fans…
Even though a lot of unsettling stuff happens at Dali’s palazzo, I wanted a front row seat there for the mealtimes alone.
Apparently, Dali was a huge foodie. King has gone above and beyond constructing elaborate and extravagant feasts for the characters to enjoy in In the Garden of Monsters. There were some ingredients and meals I’ve never heard of, and many dishes are based on Renaissance Italian culinary masterpieces.
My favorite foodie scene featured the color-themed multi-course meal, to represent moving through the levels of the afterlife: all the food served in one course was red, to represent hell. All the food served in another course was grey, to represent purgatory or limbo. So amazing.
Should you read In the Garden of Monsters?
Um, in case it wasn’t abundantly clear, YES. You should absolutely read In the Garden of Monsters. There’s something in this book for everyone – drama, friendship, art, food, mythology, history, travel, romance, adventure, mystery, and so much more. King has truly created a feast for the imagination that will not disappoint.
What’s the book-inspired recipe for In the Garden of Monsters?
Tartlets, you’re in for a treat! I collaborated with author Crystal King to create five book-inspired recipes for the companion cookbook to In the Garden of Monsters. The book-inspired recipe I’ll be posting on the blog later this week is for a Blood Orange Tart with Mascarpone Whipped Cream.
But, all the recipes are available RIGHT NOW in the digital cookbook, which you can download for free here: In the Garden of Monsters Companion Cookbook
I am intrigued–this sounds like a great book! All the recipes you developed for the cookbook are gorgeous. I’m going to pick up the digital cookbook here in a sec. And I’ll check with my library to see if they have In the Garden of Monsters. If not, I am happy to pick up my own copy!
Thanks, Jenni! I’m so impressed with what people decided to tackle for the recipes in the cookbook. I remember reading about the grey soup in the novel, and I was so excited that someone made that one. I hope you enjoy the novel as much as I did! And that you get some tasty eats out of the cookbook. Thanks for your advice on how to go about making the blood orange tart pastry crust. 🙂