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The King of Aloe Vera
- Author
- Tomas Moniz
- Narrator
- Zac Aleman
- Publisher
- Hachette Audio
- Publish Date
- 29 September 2026
- Run Time
- 6 hours 20 minutes
- Format
- Audiobook
What to expect
An elderly man has just a month to leave his home. A young woman from his neighborhood is soon to be unhoused. Slowly but surely, the two form an unlikely yet transformational friendship in this warm and funny novel about love and community.
Seventy-five-year-old Rey has lived on the same block in San Francisco’s Mission District for most of his life, watching his city transform. A widower for ten years, he spends most of his time volunteering at the library, but by the end of the month, Rey must move into a senior retirement and leave his neighborhood behind. It’s at the library during one of his last shifts where he meets Q, on probation, post breakup with her girlfriend and dealing with a troubled family. As Rey tries to decide what to do with the rest of his days, literally counting them off and cutting his remaining ties, Q begins to insert herself into his world in a way that he can't deny.
A story about Latinx identity, intergenerational friendship, and chosen family, Moniz’s novel takes us on a journey through senior dance classes, illegal bike trips over the Bay Bridge, and fair housing rallies. And as the days tick down, Rey and Q find themselves leaning on each other for answers on how to find community and purpose, make amends, and process grief.
For readers of Steven Rowley and Claire Jimenez, equally funny and tender, The King of Aloe Vera delights in how we choose to live, and live out, our lives.
Critics Review
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"Tomas Moniz finds wonder and wisdom in the unseen souls living below the gleaming surfaces of tomorrow’s city, the ones who really make a place what it is. Here is an unforgettable tale of a grieving elderly vato and a restless young street kid who need each other more than they know. The King of Aloe Vera is a love song for the weird old Bay Area, a funny valentine for all her vitalizing eccentrics, and a tender meditation on how to make a well-lived life amid endless chaos and heartbreak.”—Jeff Chang, author of Water Mirror Echo: Bruce Lee and the Making of Asian America and Can’t Stop Won’t Stop: A History of the Hip-Hop Generation
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"What a tender, emotional ride! The King of Aloe Vera is not only a love letter to San Francisco’s Mission District but a novel about the tendrils of grief and finding hope in unlikely connections. Tomas Moniz has created the hero of our times, the elderly Rey armed with his broom who shows readers how to see and live. Get ready to cry!" —Lilliam Rivera, author of Tiny Threads
User Reviews
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Details
- Author
- Tomas Moniz
- Narrator
- Zac Aleman
- Duration
- 6 hours 20 minutes
- Release Date
- 29 September 2026
- ISBN
- 9781668659526
- Format
- Audiobook
- Publisher
- Hachette Audio
- Genre
- Fiction: general and literary, Family life fiction, Fiction: general and literary
Synopsis
An elderly man has just a month to leave his home. A young woman from his neighborhood is soon to be unhoused. Slowly but surely, the two form an unlikely yet transformational friendship in this warm and funny novel about love and community. Seventy-five-year-old Rey has lived on the same block in San Francisco’s Mission District for most of his life, watching his city transform. A widower for ten years, he spends most of his time volunteering at the library, but by the end of the month, Rey must move into a senior retirement and leave his neighborhood behind. It’s at the library during one of his last shifts where he meets Q, on probation, post breakup with her girlfriend and dealing with a troubled family. As Rey tries to decide what to do with the rest of his days, literally counting them off and cutting his remaining ties, Q begins to insert herself into his world in a way that he can't deny. A story about Latinx identity, intergenerational friendship, and chosen family, Moniz’s novel takes us on a journey through senior dance classes, illegal bike trips over the Bay Bridge, and fair housing rallies. And as the days tick down, Rey and Q find themselves leaning on each other for answers on how to find community and purpose, make amends, and process grief. For readers of Steven Rowley and Claire Jimenez, equally funny and tender, The King of Aloe Vera delights in how we choose to live, and live out, our lives.
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