Their Monstrous Hearts: A Gothic Tale Of Beauty And Horror

Their Monstrous Hearts: A Gothic Tale of Beauty and Horror

A Horror Book Review by Debra K. Every

The core premise of Their Monstrous Hearts by Yiğit Turhan is an interesting one. Perihan, a wealthy Turkish woman living in Milan comes upon a beautiful mysterious creature surrounded by a multitude of butterflies and is enthralled.

So much so, that she brings the creature home and notices that it changes its appearance and personality based on how it is treated. Show love and it is beautiful. Show anger or hate and its beauty mutates into increasingly more disturbing forms. Even more fascinating is her discovery that the tears the creature produces, as well as the butterflies the creature creates, hold the secret to immortality. Perihan uses, and eventually abuses, that knowledge for herself and anyone willing to pay the price.

As I said, this is the core premise. However, it is framed within the classic trope of a young, down-on-his-luck writer, Riccardo, inheriting an estate from his mysterious grandmother, Perihan, with whom he has lost contact. When Riccardo arrives from Paris to Milan for his grandmother’s funeral, he finds her mansion in decay and a cast of mysterious characters whose motives are difficult to decipher.

Their Monstrous Hearts is Yiğit Turhan’s second novel and was inspired by the loss of his own grandmother. (His 2015 horror debut, Kadük, was published in Turkish). In a November 2024 interview with fashion editor, Carine Roitfeld for Interview Magazine, he shares the deep connection he had had with her. “She was this opulent character, obsessed with fashion, obsessed with collecting, always by my side.”

According to that interview, Turhan went to her home after her death and, in going through her things, found mysteries. She hated butterflies and yet she kept a butterfly painting under her bed. She had “corridors full of shoe closets” and yet she had a pair of dusty old loafers stored in a closet. The possibility of her secret life fascinated him and was ultimately the inspiration for Their Monstrous Hearts.

Butterflies take center stage here and it is a fascinating choice. There is a delicacy and beauty to butterflies. The first image that might come to mind is an idyllic garden with fluttering butterflies vying for attention amidst blooming flowers. Not exactly the stuff of horror. But Turhan manages to focus on their duality. After all, they were, at one time caterpillars; earthbound insects whose main purpose is to transform into something more. Indeed, it is that very idea that informs his “monster”. A creature who goes back and forth between great beauty and a dangerous, caterpillar-like creature.

In Turhan’s novel, Riccardo wanders the hallways of his newly-inherited mansion, and discovers Perihan’s memoir addressed specifically to him. And therein lies one of my issues with Their Monstrous Hearts. There are a multitude of backstories, some of which are written in Perihan’s memoir, some are told by various staff at the mansion, and some are in the form of Riccardo’s memories and nightmares.

There are even moments when any given backstory tells yet another backstory – backstories within backstories within backstories – making it difficult to keep track of who’s point of view is being told at any specific moment. And since the Riccardo character is barely flushed out, the story would surely have been better served, told almost completely from Perihan’s point of view, a complex multi-faceted character with surprising twists and turns.

Having said all that, this slow-build gothic horror with its ramped-up ending, weaves a folklore-like tale dealing with concepts of beauty, family, and unresolved issues left to fester. The author’s connection to his own past is evidenced on every page. In addition to Perihan, there are several well-drawn characters who easily capture attention whenever in the spotlight. And, of course, the duality of the butterflies is a unique device that keeps the story fresh. Their Monstrous Hearts is filled with magic, memory, ill-fated choices, and regret. And that is the stuff of horror.

Their Monstrous Hearts by Yiğit Turhan

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“A gothic, darkly alluring tale that will leave readers spellbound”—Dua Lipa, Grammy award-winning singer/songwriter

A haunting novel about the boundaries people will cross to keep their dreams alive.

A mysterious stranger shows up at Riccardo’s apartment with some news: his grandmother Perihan has died, and Riccardo has inherited her villa in Milan along with her famed butterfly collection.

The struggling writer is out of options. He’s hoping the change of scenery in Milan will inspire him, and maybe there will be some money to keep him afloat. But Perihan’s house isn’t as opulent as he remembers. The butterflies pinned in their glass cases seem more ominous than artful. Perihan’s group of mysterious old friends is constantly lurking. And there’s something wrong in the greenhouse.

As Riccardo explores the decrepit estate, he stumbles upon Perihan’s diary, which might hold the key to her mysterious death. Or at least give him the inspiration he needs to finish his manuscript.

But he might not survive long enough to write it.