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mily Jon Tobias is an American author and poet. She is an award-winning writer whose work has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize, along with other honorable mentions, and has been featured in literary journals such as Santa Clara Review, Talking River Review, Flying South Literary Journal, Furrow Literary Journal, The Opiate Magazine, The Ocotillo Review, Jerry Jazz Musician, Typehouse Literary Magazine, Tahoma Literary Review, Big Muddy, Spoon Knife, Peauxdunque Review, and elsewhere. Midwestern-raised, she now lives and writes on the coast of Southern California and holds a Master of Fine Arts in Writing from Pacific University Oregon. MONARCH: STORIES (Black Lawrence Press, 2024) is her debut collection, winner of the 2024 American Book Fest International Book Awards and finalist for the 2024 American Book Fest Fiction Awards for a short story collection
Reviewed by Bernadette Longu for Readers' Favorite
In Monarch: Stories by Emily Jon Tobias, the author has taken subjects that are still taboo and not spoken about openly today i.e. mental health, physical health, dominance, anger, and doubt. It describes various types of depression, feelings of being left out, ignored, not appreciated, overlooked, and being at the beck and call of someone else, never having your opinion considered. Monarch has two meanings. First, a sovereign head of state. Second, an orange and black butterfly that feeds on the milkweed plant. The butterfly has a very short life. The choice of title is apt as each of the eleven short stories has the reader stopping to ponder on what has been read. I found the stories most enlightening. I also found some of the characters' reactions not what I expected, but it made me realize that we all react differently to different situations. It makes the reader realize that every story will have a message with insight into how to cope as each tale is told from the eyes of the sufferer and how they are ignored.
The author uses her own life story and those of the different characters in each of the stories to bring out what each story has to say both about the characters and how the world handles the problems that are all too often brushed under the carpet. The problems include Liz who eats to fight depression and the fact that she is not appreciated until a twist in her tale makes her realize the truth. Each story has a twist the reader does not expect. The way the author has written each story draws the reader in to keep on reading, to learn more about each character, and to find out more. Emily Jon Tobias's Monarch: Stories is well worth more than one read. Thank you for an exceptional and thought-provoking read.
