In the Garden of Monsters: A Novel

by Crystal King

Overview

“A sinister romance and hypnotic Gothic fairytale—surreal and luscious with a fascinating twist on the story of Hades and Persephone.” —Jennifer Saint, bestselling author of Ariadne

A woman with no past. A man who seems to know her. And a monstrous garden that could be the border between their worlds…

Italy, 1948

Julia Lombardi is a mystery even to herself. The beautiful model can’t remember where she’s from, where she’s been or how she came to live in Rome. When she receives an offer to accompany celebrated eccentric artist Salvador Dalí to the Sacro Bosco—Italy’s Garden of Monsters—as his muse, she’s strangely compelled to accept. It could be a chance to unlock the truth about her past…

Shrouded in shadow, the garden full of giant statues that sometimes seem alive is far from welcoming. Still, from the moment of their arrival at the palazzo, Julia is inexplicably drawn to their darkly enigmatic host, Ignazio. He’s alluring yet terrifying—and he seems to know her.

Posing for Dalí as the goddess Persephone, Julia finds the work to be perplexing, particularly as Dalí descends deeper into his fanaticism. To him, she is Persephone, and he insists she must eat pomegranate seeds to rejoin her king.

Between Dalí’s fevered persistence, Ignazio’s uncanny familiarity and the agonizing whispered warnings that echo through the garden, Julia is soon on the verge of unraveling. And she begins to wonder if she’s truly the mythical queen of the Underworld…

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780778310570
Publisher:	MIRA Books
Publication date:	09/24/2024
Edition description:	Original
Pages:	336
Sales rank:	111,231
Product dimensions:	6.13(w) x 9.25(h) x 0.94(d)

About the Author

Crystal King is the author of The Chef’s Secret and Feast of Sorrow, which was long-listed for the Center for Fiction’s First Novel Prize and was a Must Read for the MassBook Awards. She is an author, culinary enthusiast, and marketing expert, and has taught at multiple universities including Harvard Extension and Boston University. She resides in Boston. You can find her at crystalking.com.

Editorial Reviews

07/08/2024

With this inventive spin on the Hades and Persephone myth, King (Feast of Sorrow) takes readers to Italy’s Sacro Bosco, the eponymous garden, in 1948. Amnesiac Julia Lombardi makes a living as an artist model while studying to be a painter. When an opportunity to sit for Salvador Dalí arises, Julia jumps at it, eager to witness a master at work. The gig takes her to Palazzo Orsini in Bomarzo, where the mysterious Ignazio hosts her and the dismissive, misogynistic Dalí. Julia is simultaneously drawn to and repelled by Ignazio, and he is equally obsessed with her. As painting sessions begin in the Sacro Bosco, Julia experiences strange things: the garden’s many monster statues appear to move, there’s a green glow in the woods at night, and visions of ghosts haunt her. All the while, Dalí refers to her as Proserpina, the subject she’s portraying in his painting, and tempts her with pomegranate seeds. While the core of the myth remains the same, King makes the familiar tale feel fresh with her unusual and enthralling setting, which eerily blurs the real and the surreal. This is an exciting reinterpretation. Agent: Amaryah Orenstein, Go Literary. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

Inventive spin on the Hades and Persephone myth… King makes the familiar tale feel fresh with her unusual and enthralling setting, which eerily blurs the real and the surreal. This is an exciting reinterpretation.” –Publishers Weekly

“An intriguing, creative, and suspenseful romp.” —Margaret George, New York Times bestselling author


“A sinister romance and hypnotic Gothic fairytale—surreal and luscious with a fascinating twist on the story of Hades and Persephone.” —Jennifer Saint, bestselling author of Ariadne


"In the Garden of Monsters is a gorgeous and atmospheric dreamscape of a novel, one that drew me in and took me places both surreal and earthly. Crystal King is a magician, and this novel a delicious spell." —Danielle Trussoni, New York Times bestselling author of Angelology and The Puzzle Master

"This eerie, sensual, and inventive reimagining of the Persephone myth is a lush fairy tale painted in shadows on a moonlit night." —Kris Waldherr, author of The Lost History of Dreams


“In King's deft hands, the myth of Hades and Persephone becomes a sumptuously Gothic page-turner, at once as eerie as the Underworld and as surreal as a Dalí painting. One taste, and readers won't be able to leave this story until they have turned the final page.” —Molly Greeley, author of Marvelous

“In the Garden of Monsters is a glorious work of Gothic fiction, set in Italy’s real and strange Sacro Bosco. Underpinned by Crystal King’s signature passion for food writing and impeccable research, this novel will pull you in and not let go, just as the titular garden does to the characters. I devoured it as swifty as a handful of pomegranate seeds.” —Alyssa Palombo, author of The Spellbook of Katrina Van Tassel and The Borgia Confessions



"A luscious and sensual story about passion and power and food and art with Salvador Dali wrapped in classical mythology. It’s gothic, and it’s gorgeous, and completely transporting. Do not miss this!" —Hank Phillippi Ryan, USA Today bestselling author


"King delivers an entrancing, moody, and truly original work in this Gothic Persephone and Hades retelling. Insert the wild imaginings of Dali and Gala, with a dash of suspense, and In the Garden of Monsters will captivate readers to its poignant end!" —Heather Webb, USA TODAY bestselling author of Queens of London


“A new take on the Persephone and Hades myth in this surreal mythical reworking.” —Emily Hauser, author of For the Most Beautiful

From the Publisher