Title: The Monster Game
Author: Isobelle Carmody
In: Green Monkey Dreams (Isobelle Carmody)
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Family, Historical fiction
Pace: Slow
Format: Short story
Publisher: Allen & Unwin
Year: 1996

Family is always a tricky thing to experience, describe and write about. Often, it is the thing that most destroys us, but also holds us together. This short story was a reminder of all of that darkness, a family trying to survive throughout war. But falling apart as they try to stay together. It honestly hurt my heart to read this tale. But also reminded me to cherish the family I have and the good memories.

There was a dark foreshadowing in the tone of this story from the very beginning. It was pretty obvious from the beginning that there wasn’t going to be a happy ending for these siblings. Plus, that kind of follows the tone of most of the stories in Green Monkey Dreams… there’s a layer of darkness that I haven’t focused in on in a while.

We all play games as children, and sometimes we remember the most random aspects of these games. Yet, sometimes these games and moments of perceived joy hid a greater, and much darker truth. In this case, the ways in which we hide from the truth and try to protect each other…

Image source: Allen & Unwin