Filipino author breaks new ground with 'Monstress'

MANILA, Philippines - Lysley Tenorio’s debut short story collection, Monstress, available at National Book Store, serves as a platform to introduce a unique voice from the usually underrepresented perspective of the American experience. The eight stories explore the clash and meld of disparate cultures, and the Filipino’s struggle to immigrate to the Unites States, and integrate into its society.

In National Magazine Award-nominated title story Monstress, a has-been horror film director and his reluctant leading lady travel from Manila to Hollywood for one last shot at stardom. Tenorio highlights how the characters transform an essential element of themselves to fit into their new environment. 

All of Tenorio’s plots find a compelling topic along the way. A famous Filipino faith healer and his grandson conduct illicit business in San Francisco, though each has his own plans for their earnings in Felix Starro. And an aging bachelor recruits his three nephews to stage a surprise attack on the Beatles at the Manila International Airport after they reject an invitation from Imelda Marcos in Help.

With rare skill, humor, and deep understanding, Tenorio focuses on the lives of people on the outside looking in via stories that showcase tense but fascinating dichotomies—from tenderness and power, fantastical and realistic, to the strange and familiar. Tenorio’s Monstress marks the emergence of a new and singular voice in American fiction.

Monstress by Lysley Tenorio is available at National Book Store. Follow National Book Store on Facebook and Twitter for exclusive offers and contests.