Zach Gonzalez, an 18-year-old boy, is admitted to rehab for alcoholism. Zach remembers little of his past and feels very averse to the treatment he is supposed to receive. The novel explores deep topics pertaining to mental illness such as depression and anxiety which is expressed through Zach’s time in rehabilitation. Through his time, Zach is able to converse with other adults in rehab which include mostly older adults unlike himself as a young adult. Zach takes a liking to one man, Rafael, who becomes a figure of hope and stability in Zach’s life. Throughout the novel, Zach explores his path and attempts to remember his fallen past which he is now unable to recall.
Last Night I Sang to the Monster contained some of the most emotionally traumatic writing that kept me addicted. I am not usually one to spend my time indulging in reading on the weekends and after school. I prefer binging TV shows and rewatching movies, but this novel kept me intrigued the whole time. I began reading it in my English class as a forced independent reading, but I proceeded to take this novel home and read it in my spare time. I was thoroughly invested in discovering the emotional hardships Zach was forced to endure in order to land himself in rehab. I just had to know how Zach’s relationship with Rafael develops. The novel also hinted at some severe trauma of Zach’s past which is not revealed until the end, so I had to keep reading in order to find out what had occurred in Zach’s past. This novel fell right into my type of reading, and it contained some of the most heart-wrenching plots that I was able to read. Rating: 5 out of 5.