What readers say
This book is a perfect example of what happens when men don’t get the therapy that they need. We are told two stories, from alternating chapters. First the story of Gabi, a Cuban girl growing up with her rambunctious sister, Luci, who can’t be tamed, their father who is revered in Cuba but ostracized in America, their Catholic mother and her two brothers. The family moves to Key West- where Luci only grows wilder, dragging her sister Gabi along for the ride. Second, the story of Wilhelm von Tore- a German scientist escaping his home country to live in mid-century America, specifically Key West. He forges his documents, hiding his true identity amongst his peers. He has been interested in experimentation since he was a young boy- dissecting animals in the forrest while the other little boys watched in wonder. His grandmother (who he was extremely close with) died when he was young, and instead of alerting a family member or doctor, he slept entwined with the corpse for days until he was discovered. This is sure foreshadowing for the future of the story. The two characters cross paths when Luci develops an illness that brings her to the hospital- where von Tor recognizes her from a dream he had when he was younger. Is it fate or absolute delusion? Von Tor is convinced it’s the first, and sets out to experiment on Luci at no cost to her family in the comfort of their home. With fear of spoiling the ending, I will only say this much- Wilhelm is a sick fuck that should have been stopped ages ago. The fact that this is inspired by a true story is nauseating. This man is a gaslighter in the most extreme sense, who spins stories and delusions so grand he has everyone under his spell, even Luci’s mother. I was under the impression that this book would be like Frankenstein but it really wasn’t. It was more like “evil scientist with a mental illness and sadistic tendencies”. The fact that people sided with him, let alone HELPED him, is absolutely insane.