Review: Eliza and Her Monsters

Eliza and Her Monsters

by Francesca Zappia

Age Range: 13 & up

Release Date: May 30, 2017

Greenwillow Books

9780062290137

Eliza Mirk is an angsty teen. That’s certainly nothing new. She has a mom, a dad, and two younger brothers who drive her up the wall. She’s always being asked to come out of her room, to put her phone away, to get off the internet, to pull herself out of her own head and spend time with real people. What is unusual about Eliza is her art, an immensely popular webcomic called Monstrous Sea. Eliza keeps her identity anonymous, preferring to interact with the enthusiastic Monstrous Sea online community from the peripheral. Her creation is even lucrative enough to put her through school in the future. This popularity does not accompany her during school hours. As we all know, high school is rough. Teenagers can be judgmental and mean, and Eliza is weird from a traditionally social standpoint. She much prefers her online community. Then she meets Wallace, a new kid with selective mutism who also happens to be a major Monstrous Sea fan.

The development of Eliza and Wallace’s friendship-turned-relationship is delightful. They start by writing to each other in class and during breaks, as neither enjoys outright speaking, and this allows for a lovely transition of their communication methods, from speaking as you would online to actually speaking with the vocal chords. The two socially awkward teens find solace and companionship in one another, as they relate in a way most others don’t. The only problem? Eliza hasn’t told Wallace who she is. Her anonymity is her shield, and she worries that the more time passes without her confiding in Wallace, the more brutally her shield will disintegrate.

There is so much to relate to in the character of Eliza. The depiction of her anxiety is startlingly accurate, especially when reading as someone with anxiety. In this way, the title Eliza and Her Monsters has a duplicate meaning. There are the literal monsters Eliza creates in Monstrous Sea, which her heroine Amity must face, but there are also her own personal monsters, the metaphorical ones she must overcome just to step outside of her room and beyond her own fictional world. It is rewarding to see intense anxiety so well-portrayed.

On a lighter note, Zappia’s depiction of fandom is also simply marvelous. Now, I will start off by saying that to enjoy Eliza’s story, you do not need to have had experience in the world of fandom. But oh, goodness, it is such a pleasurable crackup when you do. Everyone who is present in any fandom world is there. Monstrous Sea has its fangirls and its fanboys, its shippers and its cosplayers, its fanartists, its fanfiction writers, and definitely its trolls. But what I appreciate the most about this depiction of fandom is the spotlight on the sense of community that comes with loving a piece of work so dearly. Sometimes that one thing is all you need to connect with another individual, whether it be a book series, a movie, a show, or a webcomic.

Finally, Eliza’s story is interspersed with snippets from Monstrous Sea itself. There have been criticisms from readers lamenting the amount of art, wishing there was more. However, between Eliza’s conversations with Wallace and her online friends, our insights into her creative process, and the art itself, I believe we get a well-rounded sense of what Monstrous Sea is all about. Any more, and we risk Eliza’s personal struggles being pushed aside and taking a backseat to her work, an exact issue Eliza faces within the narrative. To lose any of this personal journey would be a shame. Luckily, we don’t lose any of it, and instead are treated to a poignant narrative exploring how to achieve a healthy balance in one’s life between that which you love, and those who you love.